Surface-Based Path Following Control: Application of Curved Tapes on 3-D Objects

In this article, a novel approach for the versatile wrinkle-free application of (curved) precut adhesive tapes on freeform 3-D surfaces is presented. Straight and curved tape application paths are mapped onto the 3-D object as geodesics and as lines with imposed geodesic curvature, respectively. The proposed surface-based path following control concept extends the classical path following control by a novel parallel contact frame and a parallel projection operator. Using a static state feedback, the robotic system is transformed into a system with linear input-output behavior in the path coordinates. This allows to traverse a path on a 3-D object with a draping roll without turning around the surface normal vector. The latter prevents distortions and wrinkles of the applied tape. Experimental results with a Kuka LBR iiwa 14 R820 demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.