As robotic manipulators become more prevalent, particularly in hazardous environments
or for repetitive tasks, demand continues for increased performance and
decreased cost. In some applications, both can be achieved by reducing the weight
of the manipulator. However, reduced weight often leads to significant structural
flexibility and vibration which, for most tasks, is generally regarded as detrimental
to performance.
Although there has been a great deal of research in the area of controlling flexible
manipulators to follow a desired trajectory, much less work has been directed towards
choosing the trajectory itself. The objective of this work is to optimize point-to-point
motions in joint space to reduce vibration. This problem is formulated as one
of functional optimization and the applicable methods of solution are reviewed. An
indirect method is chosen that allows modular software development by preserving the
integrity of existing nonlinear dynamics models. Numerical results are compared with
trajectories generated by other means and show a significant reduction in vibration
possible by optimization, particularly for varying joint paths.
Finally, the effectiveness of the trajectory optimization scheme is further evaluated
for high-speed, large-angle motions of an experimental nonplanar two-link flexible
manipulator. Such results are lacking in the literature, but are very important
for assessing the utility of trajectory optimization in the presence of modelling and
tracking errors. Again, significant reductions in vibration are demonstrated by using
the global optimization approach for trajectory generation. / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/8793 |
| Date | 10 November 2017 |
| Creators | Pond, Christopher Burke |
| Contributors | Sharf, I. |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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