Tracking control of multiple flexible link robots

Abstract

Deals with joint tracking control of multiple flexible link robots. The dynamics of such robots are examined, and some important dynamic properties are presented. A joint tracking controller is designed using the computed torque concept. The control objective is to achieve asymptotic convergence of the joint tracking error and, ultimately, uniform boundedness of the elastic coordinates. Using the dynamic properties presented in this paper, a Lyapunov-type analysis shows that, with proper passive structural damping, the computed torque controller provides asymptotically stable joint tracking and a certain computable elastic coordinate boundedness. Numerical simulations validate the theoretical analysis.