Trajectory control of flexible manipulator using rigid micromanipulator system

This paper describes a end-point trajectory control of a flexible manipulator using a rigid micromanipulator mounted at the tip of a flexible macromanipulator. The proposed controller is based on variable structure control (VSC) and predictive control techniques. A VSC law is derived for the end point trajectory control of the rigid micromanipulator, manipulator, and a predictive control law is derived for the end point control of the flexible macromanipulator. The predictive control law is obtained by minimizing a quadratic function of the tip-tracking error of the flexible link, the elastic deflection, and the input torque of the macromanipulator. The combination of the VSC and the predictive controllers accomplishes precise end effector trajectory tracking and elastic mode stabilization. These results are applied to a planar macro-micro manipulator system consisting of one flexible link and two micro rigid links. Simulation results are presented to show that in the closed-loop system time-varying end point trajectory control and elastic mode stabilization are accomplished.