Gain scheduler middleware: a methodology to enable existing controllers for networked control and teleoperation-part II: teleoperation

This paper is the second of two companion papers. The foundation for the external gain scheduling approach to enable an existing controller via middleware for networked control with a case study on a proportional-integral (PI) controller for dc motor speed control over IP networks was given in Part I. Part II extends the concepts and methods of the middleware called gain scheduler middleware (GSM) in Part I to enable an existing controller for mobile robot path-tracking teleoperation. By identifying network traffic conditions in real-time, the GSM will predict the future tracking performance. If the predicted tracking performance tends to be degraded over a certain tolerance due to network delays, the GSM will modify the path-tracking controller output with respect to the current traffic conditions. The path-tracking controller output is modified so that the robot will move with the fastest possible speed, while the tracking performance is maintained in a certain tolerance. Simulation and experimental results on a mobile robot path-tracking platform show that the GSM approach can significantly maintain the robot path-tracking performance with the existence of IP network delays.