Les interfaces haptiques à retour d’effort sont des dispositifs robotiques capables deproduire des forces à destination de l’utilisateur en téléopération et en réalité virtuelle. L’utilisation d’interface à retour d’effort en Conception Assistée par Ordinateur (CAO) offre de nouvelles perspectives pour la création et la conception de formes 3D grâce à une interactivité à la fois visuelle et kinesthésique. Elles permettent à la fois de visualiser, de manipuler en temps réel des objets virtuels et d’en ressentir les efforts (liés aux contacts, à la déformation, etc.).Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse contribuent au développement d’interfaces àretour d’effort pour répondre au mieux aux besoins de la CAO. Dans ce mémoire, l’accent est placé sur la problématique de la stabilité et son exploitation pour la commande de l’interface mais aussi pour la conception électromécanique. L’ensemble des travaux porte sur une interface à un degré de liberté.Dans un premier temps, différents facteurs liés au système mécanique (amortissement, modes vibratoires) et à l’environnement virtuel (échantillonnage, retard. . .) agissant sur la stabilité d’une interface sont mis en évidence à l’aide de critères fréquentiels. Ensuite, la conception d’une interface (choix et dimensionnement des composants) est ramenée sous forme d’un problème d’optimisation incluant une contrainte liée à la stabilité (en termes de domaine d’utilisation) et un critère de maximisation de la transparence (en termesd’inertie du dispositif).Dans un second temps, l’architecture de commande des dispositifs haptiques est étudiée. À l’aide d’une nouvelle condition de stabilité asymptotique pour les systèmes en temps discret à retard variable et en utilisant un observateur d’état augmenté comme alternative à l’utilisation standard de la méthode des différences finies arrières, la synthèse d’une nouvelle architecture de commande est proposée.La dernière partie du mémoire aborde la description du banc d’essai expérimental développé pendant le travail de thèse ainsi que les résultats des tests réalisés. / Force feedback haptic interfaces are robotic devices which are able to produce forces for the user in a teleoperation or virtual reality context. The integration of force feedback haptic interfaces in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems offers new perspectives for modeling and design of 3D objects by combining both visual and kinesthetic interaction. It allows viewing and manipulating virtual objects in real-time with a sense of touch (linked to contact, deformation, etc.).The works presented in this thesis contribute to the development of a force feedbackhaptic device to meet the needs of CAD at the best. In this thesis manuscript, the emphasis is put on the stability issue and its exploitation for the control of the device but also for the electromechanical conception. All the presented works concern an interface with one degree of freedom. First, several factors relative to the mechanic system (physical damping, vibration modes) and to the virtual environment (sampling period, delay-time, etc.) acting on the interface stability are highlighted through frequency domain stability criteria. Then, the interface design (choice and sizing of components) is expressed on the form of an optimization problem including a constraint linked to stability (in terms of application area).In a second part, the control architecture of haptic devices is studied. Using a newstability criterion for systems in discrete time with variable delay and an augmented state observer as an alternative to the standard finite difference scheme, the synthesis of novel control architecture is proposed.The last part of the manuscript deals with the description of the experimental testbench developed during the thesis period together with the results of some realized tests.

No description available.

Road feedback is an essential part of the driving experience, representing a connection betweenthe driver and the vehicle motion. Road feedback in a steer-by-wire system must berecreated and transferred to the driver through a feedback motor mounted on the steeringwheel. This project aimed to implement a function in the feedback motor control with thepurpose of giving the driver road feedback. The function should enhance the drivers trustand confidence in the steering system. Specifically, the function should provide the driverwith a feeling of being connected to the vehicle. A pre-study on the subject of steering feel was made as well as an interview study, whichresulted in a list of hypotheses. The hypotheses became a basis for generating conceptideas, together with measurement data of vehicle network signals for different drivingscenarios. Two different functions were then modelled and implemented in MathWorksSimulink. Function 1 models force components acting on the front road wheels in longitudinal,lateral and vertical direction. The forces result in a torque contribution fromeach dimension that acts around the steering axis and represents a reaction in the steeringsystem due to road disturbances. The torque is then translated to a steering wheel torque.Function 2 strives to capture road surface roughness through the high frequency informationin the steering rack motor torque. Three different road surfaces were studied; smoothasphalt, rough asphalt and gravel road. A test rig was used in order to verify the behaviour of the functions. The final step of theproject was to implement the functions in a test vehicle, where they could be further tunedand evaluated. The force component models of Function 1 captured different types of roadfeedback which were evaluated separately by timing, authenticity and desirability. Theresult of this evaluation was positive considering them separately. When the models werecombined it resulted in an unwanted behaviour. Function 2 gave torque feedback that feltauthentic and natural, especially for the gravel road case. However, it was more difficult todistinguish different asphalt types. The conclusion was that neither Function 1 nor 2 couldbe approved as finished functions, however both are considered as interesting concepts forfurther development. Fully steer-by-wire steering transmissions have now been approved for usage. This meansthat one of the remaining challenges for implementing steer-by-wire cars on today’s marketis the subjective views from the customers. Function 1 and 2 could be a way to providethe drivers with trust towards the steering, and at the same time, enhance the drivingexperience. / <p>The presentation was held at ACAS at Linköping University. The presentation included a summary and learnings from the project. A short demonstration was performed using a test-rig consisting of a steering wheel, a feedback motor and a control unit. </p>

The goal of this thesis was to create a sensors glove with force feedback feeling when operating a humanoid robot hand. The development covered multiple areas such as mechanics, electronics and programming. The final product gave the user control over three fingers of a humanoid robotic hand. In the case where the robotic hand comes in contact with an object the user's finger movement is limited according to the pressure the robotic hands fingers exposes the object to. / Rapporten beskriver arbetet för framtagandet och skapandet av en sensorhandske med inbyggd force feedback funktion som därmed ska möjliggöra styrning över en mekanisk gripare med hög finmotorik. Detta för att kunna få en mer realistisk manövrering över griparen. Projektet är uppdelat i två system. Ett system för sensorhand som med en Arduino Uno Rev 3 styr servomotorer som används för att återskapa force feedbacken. Utöver det sker även mätning och analys av användarens fingerposition genom potentiometrar. Det andra systemet är för en humanoid robothand som även den använder sig av en Arduino Uno Rev 3 för att manövrera de servomotorer som handen använder för att flytta fingrarna. Mätning och analys av trycksensorer på robothandens fingertoppar genomförs för att möjliggör återskapandet av force feedback till användaren efter det tryck robothanden utsätter ett objekt för. De två systemen använder sig av ett I2C protokoll i form av multimaster and slave struktur för att kommunicera mellan det två mikrokontrollerna samt deras respektive servomotordrivarkretsar (Adafruit- PCA9685). För att undvika krockar i kommunikationen då mer än en master använder I2C linorna skapades en ovanpåliggande struktur för att upprätta regler för hur kommunikationen ska genomföras. All datahantering och kommunikation programmeras i C++. Programmeringskoden är skapad så att utbytet av robothanden och dess servodrivarkrets är möjligt. Sensorhandsken kan därmed implementeras till vad användaren väljer att använda den till, så länge kommunikationen sker med samma regler och struktur som upprättats. Utöver elektronik och programmering har även mycket mekanik tillämpats då olika delar av elektroniken ska byggas in och kunna fungera korrekt med rörliga mekaniska delar. Detta har bland annat använts i skapandet för fingerpositionsmätningen där trimpotentiometrar har byggts in och rörliga delar kan ändra på det resistiva motståndet i komponenten. Trots projektets begränsning till tre fingrar tyder projektet på att det framtagna konceptet av en sensorhandske med force feedback är fullt möjligt och genomförbart.

The atomic force microscope (AFM) provides a powerful instrument for investigating and manipulating biological samples down to the subnanometer scale. In contrast to other microscopy methods, AFM does not require labeling, staining, nor fixation of samples and allows the specimen to be fully hydrated in buffer solution during the experiments. Moreover, AFM clearly compares in resolution to other techniques. In general, the AFM can be operated in an imaging or a force spectroscopy mode. In the present work, advantage was taken of this versatility to investigate single biomolecules and biomolecular assemblies. A novel approach to investigate the visco-elastic behavior of biomolecules under force was established, using dextran as an example. While a molecule tethered between a solid support and the cantilever tip was stretched at a constant velocity, the thermally driven oscillation of the cantilever was recorded. Analysis of the cantilever Brownian noise provided information about the visco-elastic properties of dextran that corresponded well to parameters obtained by alternative methods. However, the approach presented here was easier to implement and less time-consuming than previously used methods. A computer controlled force-clamp system was set up, circumventing the need for custom built analogue electronics. A commercial PicoForce AFM was extended by two computers which hosted data acquisition hardware. While the first computer recorded data, the second computer drove the AFM bypassing the manufacturer's microscope control software. To do so, a software-based proportional-integral-differential (PID) controller was implemented on the second computer. It allowed the force applied to a molecule to be held constant over time. After tuning of the PID controller, response times obtained using that force-clamp setup were comparable to those of the recently reported analogue systems. The performance of the setup was demonstrated by force-clamp unfolding of a pentameric Ig25 construct and the membrane protein NhaA. In the latter case, short-lived unfolding intermediates that were populated for less than 10 ms, could be revealed. Conventional single-molecule dynamic force spectroscopy was used to unfold the serine:threonine antiporter SteT from Bacillus subtilis, an integral membrane protein. Unfolding force patterns revealed the unfolding barriers stabilizing structural segments of SteT. Ligand binding did not induce new unfolding barriers suggesting that weak interactions with multiple structural segments were involved. In contrast, ligand binding caused changes in the energy landscape of all structural segments, thus turning the protein from a brittle, rigid into a more stable, structurally flexible conformation. Functionally, rigidity in the ligand-free state was thought to facilitate specific ligand binding, while flexibility and increased stability were required for conformational changes associated with substrate translocation. These results support the working model for transmembrane transport proteins that provide alternate access of the binding site to either face of the membrane. Finally, high-resolution imaging was exploited to visualize the extracellular surface of Cx26 gap junction hemichannels (connexons). AFM topographs reveal pH-dependent structural changes of the extracellular connexon surface in presence of HEPES, an aminosulfonate compound. At low pH (&amp;lt; 6.5), connexons showed a narrow and shallow channel entrance, which represented the closed pore. Increasing pH values resulted in a gradual opening of the pore, which was reflected by increasing channel entrance widths and depths. At pH &amp;gt; 7.6 the pore was fully opened and the pore diameter and depth did not increase further. Importantly, coinciding with pore gating a slight rotation of the subunits was observed. In the absence of aminosulfonate compounds, such as HEPES, acidification did not affect pore diameters and depths, retaining the open state. Thus, the intracellular concentration of taurine, a naturally abundant aminosulfonate compound, might be used to tune gap junction sensitivity at low pH.

Depuis son invention en 1986, les microscopes à force atomique (AFM) ont été des puissants outils pour la caractérisation des matériaux et des propriétés des matériaux à l'échelle nanométrique. Cette thèse est entièrement dédiée à la mesure de l'interaction entre une sonde AFM et une surface avec une nouvelle technique AFM appelée Force Feedback Microscopy (FFM). La technique a été développée et utilisée pour l'étude d'échantillons biologiques. Le principe central de la technologie FFM est que la force totale moyenne appliquée à la pointe est égal à zéro. En conséquence, en présence d'une interaction pointe-échantillon, une force égale et contraire doit être appliquée à la pointe par une boucle de rétroaction. La force de réaction est ici appliquée à la pointe à travers le déplacement d'un petit élément piézoélectrique positionné à la base du levier AFM. La boucle de rétroaction permet d'éviter instabilités mécaniques tels que le saut au contact, permettant la mesure complète de la courbe d'interaction. En plus, il donne la possibilité de mesurer simultanément les parties élastique et inélastique de l'interaction. La technique a été appliquée à l'étude des interactions à l'interface solide/gaz, avec un intérêt particulier pour l'observation de la formation et de la rupture des ponts capillaires entre pointe et échantillon. Ensuite, on a focalisé notre attention aux interfaces solide/liquide. Dans ce contexte, courbes complètes de type DLVO sont caractérisées d'un point de vue élastique et dissipatif. Nous avons développé des nouveaux modes d'imagerie AFM pour l'étude des biomolécules. Images de phospholipides et de l'ADN à force constante ont été réalisées et certaines propriétés mécaniques comme le module de Young des échantillons ont été évaluées. En plus, nous avons réalisé une étude spectroscopique de l'élasticité et du coeffcient d'amortissement de l'interaction entre des cellules vivantes de type PC12 et une pointe AFM en nitrure de silicium. L'étude montre que le FFM est un instrument capable de mesurer l'interaction à des fréquences qui ne sont pas nécessairement liées aux résonances caractéristiques du levier. L'étude spectroscopique pourrait avoir dans le futur des applications importantes pour l'étude des biomolécules et des polymères.

Ce travail propose de nouvelles structures de contrôle pour la téléopération bilatérale à travers des réseaux de communication non dédiés. L’enjeu est donc de concevoir et calculer des structures de commande garantissant la stabilisation et un bon degré de performance en termes de synchronisation (suivi des positions et vitesse) et de transparence (ressenti des forces) sous les retards variables et asymétriques.Nous faisons tout d’abord un tour d’horizon des recherches récentes dans le domaine des systèmes de téléopération et de leurs caractéristiques. Puis, nous considérons des modèles linéaires à plusieurs retards variables pour lesquels nous proposons une approche d’analyse de stabilité par fonctionnelles de Lyapunov-Krasovskii et contrôle robuste H [infinity symbol . Ensuite, trois structures de téléopération seront proposées en temps continu, la comparaison de ces architectures montre que, pour un retard de réseau maximum donné ou calculé, toutes garantissent un suivi de position et vitesse. Les deux dernières, qui utilisent les forces mesurées ou estimées de l’opérateur humain et de l’environnement, garantissent de plus un suivi en force. Au final, la troisième structure (avec proxy) présente la meilleure performance, même si elle demande un peu plus de calcul. Puis, afin d’analyser et d’améliorer les performances de la troisième structure pour des modèles encore plus réalistes, une étude est menée en temps discret, mais aussi sur un modèle non linéaire ou non stationnaire sous perturbations bornées en norme. L’implantation sur la plate-forme est décrite dans un quatrième et dernier chapitre, et puis l’analyse des résultats expérimentaux est alors menée / This PhD thesis is dedicated to the control scheme design of the bilateral teleoperation under asymmetric communication channels: the stabilization and a high-level performance under asymmetric time-varying delays and the perturbations of the human operator and environment. After a review of the recent researches and their features in the field of teleoperation system, a less conservative Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional together with H [infinity symbol] control theory has been applied to linear time delay systems, and then the LMI theorems have been obtained in order to calculate the controllers in the control schemes.Firstly, three novel teleoperation control schemes have been presented. Comparing three architectures, all of them guaranteed the stability and the position tracking thanks to the position/velocity information. Force-reflecting control scheme without or with proxy, in addition, ensured the force tracking by using the estimated/measured force of the human operator and the environment. Here, the control scheme with the proxy got a better performance. Secondly, a discrete-time approach has been developed to analyze the force-reflecting control scheme with proxy and obtain a better system performance. Besides, more general systems with time-varying uncertainties (the polytopic-type uncertainties and the norm-bounded model uncertainties) have been considered. Finally, the experimental test-bench and the real system implementation have been designed, which involved the identification and linearizing control of the subsystems (the master/slave robots). The experimental results have illustrated the effectiveness of the approaches proposed in this thesis

Diplomová práce se zabývá představením, popisem a vytvořením modelu postranní řídicí páky pilota s aktivní silovou zpětnou vazbou firmy Honeywell International Inc. v prostředí MATLAB Simulink. Dále pak představením problému pilotem indukovaných oscilací a možnostmi jejich předcházení, detekce a potlačení. Model řídicí páky se silovou zpětnou vazbou je použit pro potlačení detekovaných oscilací v simulaci letounu.

The atomic force microscope (AFM) provides a powerful instrument for investigating and manipulating biological samples down to the subnanometer scale. In contrast to other microscopy methods, AFM does not require labeling, staining, nor fixation of samples and allows the specimen to be fully hydrated in buffer solution during the experiments. Moreover, AFM clearly compares in resolution to other techniques. In general, the AFM can be operated in an imaging or a force spectroscopy mode. In the present work, advantage was taken of this versatility to investigate single biomolecules and biomolecular assemblies. A novel approach to investigate the visco-elastic behavior of biomolecules under force was established, using dextran as an example. While a molecule tethered between a solid support and the cantilever tip was stretched at a constant velocity, the thermally driven oscillation of the cantilever was recorded. Analysis of the cantilever Brownian noise provided information about the visco-elastic properties of dextran that corresponded well to parameters obtained by alternative methods. However, the approach presented here was easier to implement and less time-consuming than previously used methods. A computer controlled force-clamp system was set up, circumventing the need for custom built analogue electronics. A commercial PicoForce AFM was extended by two computers which hosted data acquisition hardware. While the first computer recorded data, the second computer drove the AFM bypassing the manufacturer's microscope control software. To do so, a software-based proportional-integral-differential (PID) controller was implemented on the second computer. It allowed the force applied to a molecule to be held constant over time. After tuning of the PID controller, response times obtained using that force-clamp setup were comparable to those of the recently reported analogue systems. The performance of the setup was demonstrated by force-clamp unfolding of a pentameric Ig25 construct and the membrane protein NhaA. In the latter case, short-lived unfolding intermediates that were populated for less than 10 ms, could be revealed. Conventional single-molecule dynamic force spectroscopy was used to unfold the serine:threonine antiporter SteT from Bacillus subtilis, an integral membrane protein. Unfolding force patterns revealed the unfolding barriers stabilizing structural segments of SteT. Ligand binding did not induce new unfolding barriers suggesting that weak interactions with multiple structural segments were involved. In contrast, ligand binding caused changes in the energy landscape of all structural segments, thus turning the protein from a brittle, rigid into a more stable, structurally flexible conformation. Functionally, rigidity in the ligand-free state was thought to facilitate specific ligand binding, while flexibility and increased stability were required for conformational changes associated with substrate translocation. These results support the working model for transmembrane transport proteins that provide alternate access of the binding site to either face of the membrane. Finally, high-resolution imaging was exploited to visualize the extracellular surface of Cx26 gap junction hemichannels (connexons). AFM topographs reveal pH-dependent structural changes of the extracellular connexon surface in presence of HEPES, an aminosulfonate compound. At low pH (&amp;lt; 6.5), connexons showed a narrow and shallow channel entrance, which represented the closed pore. Increasing pH values resulted in a gradual opening of the pore, which was reflected by increasing channel entrance widths and depths. At pH &amp;gt; 7.6 the pore was fully opened and the pore diameter and depth did not increase further. Importantly, coinciding with pore gating a slight rotation of the subunits was observed. In the absence of aminosulfonate compounds, such as HEPES, acidification did not affect pore diameters and depths, retaining the open state. Thus, the intracellular concentration of taurine, a naturally abundant aminosulfonate compound, might be used to tune gap junction sensitivity at low pH.

This dissertation presents research in the development and use of a multi-modal visual and haptic virtual model in higher education. The model, named Chemical Force Feedback (CFF), represents molecular recognition through the example of protein-ligand docking, and enables students to simultaneously see and feel representations of the protein and ligand molecules and their force interactions. The research efforts have been divided between educational research aspects and development of haptic feedback techniques. The CFF model was evaluated in situ through multiple data-collections in a university course on molecular interactions. To isolate possible influences of haptics on learning, half of the students ran CFF with haptics, and the others used the equipment with force feedback disabled. Pre- and post-tests showed a significant learning gain for all students. A particular influence of haptics was found on students reasoning, discovered through an open-ended written probe where students' responses contained elaborate descriptions of the molecular recognition process. Students' interactions with the system were analyzed using customized information visualization tools. Analysis revealed differences between the groups, for example, in their use of visual representations on offer, and in how they moved the ligand molecule. Differences in representational and interactive behaviours showed relationships with aspects of the learning outcomes. The CFF model was improved in an iterative evaluation and development process. A focus was placed on force model design, where one significant challenge was in conveying information from data with large force differences, ranging from very weak interactions to extreme forces generated when atoms collide. Therefore, a History Dependent Transfer Function (HDTF) was designed which adapts the translation of forces derived from the data to output forces according to the properties of the recently derived forces. Evaluation revealed that the HDTF improves the ability to haptically detect features in volumetric data with large force ranges. To further enable force models with high fidelity, an investigation was conducted to determine the perceptual Just Noticeable Difference (JND) in force for detection of interfaces between features in volumetric data. Results showed that JNDs vary depending on the magnitude of the forces in the volume and depending on where in the workspace the data is presented.