Control concepts for a parallel manipulator with flexible links

Abstract

Abstract Light‐weight robots are advantageous considering the low energy consumption and the low material cost. However, in light‐weight structures significant oscillations can occur which make the control very challenging. Objective of this research is end‐effector trajectory tracking of a parallel manipulator with flexible links. Hereby, only the manipulator's drives are used, and no additional actuation on the flexible bodies is considered. For accurate trajectory tracking, feedforward control of the manipulator is used based on inverse dynamics and servo‐constraints, combined with feedback control of the drive positions. (© 2016 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)