Control of the Underactuated Flexible Manipulator in the Operational Space

Position control and vibration control of the underactuated flexible robot in operational space is implemented. Firstly, the dynamic equations in operational space are derived using the assumed modes method. And kinematics and dynamics of the system are analyzed. Secondly, position control method of the underactauted flexible manipulator in the operational space is proposed. Because the elastic vibration of flexible links can not be eliminated only via position control, based on position control strategy, vibration control schemes are presented. The simulation of a 2DOF underactuated flexible manipulator indicates that position and vibration control methods have great effects on increasing end manipulation accuracy, reducing tracking errors and improving dynamic characteristics, which also verifies the validity of control strategies. Thus, for the underactuated flexible robot, both the position control and the vibration control are implemented simultaneously.