POSITION CONTROL OF A FLEXIBLE ROBOT ARM UNDER IMPULSIVE LOADING THE TIP

A simulation analysis is presented for the position control of a single-link flexible manipulator whose end-effector is subjected to an impulsive force. Arm is rotated by a d.c. servomotor at the shoulder so that the end point stays precisely at its initial position even if the end effector is thumped with the impulsive loading. A gap sensor is used to measure the tip displacement. The control torque based on the PD control law is applied to the motor through the driver circuit. The control strategy is tested by means of computer simulation for the one-link flexible-arm prototype in the authers' laboratory at Tohoku Univ.