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Results for “trajectory tracking”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

End-point controller design for an experimental two-link flexible manipulator using convex optimization

Recent results in linear controller design are used to design an end-point controller for an experimental two-link flexible manipulator. A nominal 14-state linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) controller was augmented with a 528-tap finite-impulse-response (FIR) filter designed using convex optimization techniques. The resulting 278-state controller produced improved end-point trajectory tracking and disturbance rejection in simulation and experimentally in real time.

Oakley, Celia M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Decentralized digital adaptive control of robot motion

A decentralized model reference adaptive scheme is developed for digital control of robot manipulators. The adaptation laws are derived using hyperstability theory, which guarantees asymptotic trajectory tracking despite gross robot parameter variations. The control scheme has a decentralized structure in the sense that each local controller receives only its joint angle measurement to produce its joint torque. The independent joint controllers have simple structures and can be programmed using a very simple and computationally fast algorithm. As a result, the scheme is suitable for real-time motion control.

Tarokh, M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Learning control system design based on 2-D theory - An application to parallel link manipulator

An approach to iterative learning control system design based on two-dimensional system theory is presented. A two-dimensional model for the iterative learning control system which reveals the connections between learning control systems and two-dimensional system theory is established. A learning control algorithm is proposed, and the convergence of learning using this algorithm is guaranteed by two-dimensional stability. The learning algorithm is applied successfully to the trajectory tracking control problem for a parallel link robot manipulator. The excellent performance of this learning algorithm is demonstrated by the computer simulation results.

Geng, Z.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Anatomy of an experimental two-link flexible manipulator under end-point control

The design and experimental implementation of an end-point controller for two-link flexible manipulators are presented. The end-point controller is based on linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) theory and is shown to exhibit significant improvements in trajectory tracking over a conventional controller design. To understand the behavior of the manipulator structure under end-point control, a strobe sequence illustrating the link deflections during a typical slew maneuver is included.

Oakley, Celia M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Nonlinear control via approximate input-output linearization - The ball and beam example

A study is made of approximate input-output linearization of nonlinear systems which fail to have a well defined relative degree. For such systems, a method is provided for constructing approximate systems that are input-output linearizable. The analysis presented in this note is motivated through its application to a common undergraduate control laboratory experiment, the ball and beam system, where it is shown to be more effective for trajectory tracking than the standard Jacobian linearization.

Hauser, John↗
NASA NTRS1991

Direct adaptive impedance control of manipulators

An adaptive scheme for controlling the end-effector impedance of robot manipulators is presented. The proposed control system consists of three subsystems: a simple filter which characterizes the desired dynamic relationship between the end-effector position error and the end-effector/environment contact force, an adaptive controller which produces the Cartesian-space control input required to provide this desired dynamic relationship, and an algorithm for mapping the Cartesian-space control input to a physically realizable joint-space control torque. The controller does not require knowledge of either the structure or the parameter values of the robot dynamics, and it is implemented without calculation of the robot inverse kinematic transformation. As a result, the scheme represents a very general and computationally efficient approach to controlling the impedance of both nonredundant and redundant manipulators. Furthermore, the method can be applied directly to trajectory tracking in free-space motion by removing the impedance filter.

Colbaugh, R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

An experimental evaluation and comparison of explicit force control strategies for robotic manipulator

The authors present an experimental evaluation and comparison of basic strategies that have been proposed for force control of robot manipulators. This experimental review of force control methodologies is unique in its breadth. The commonality amongst the experiments has permitted the ability to objectively compare and contrast these strategies, and draw conclusions about the efficacy of each. The results support previous analysis and show the superiority of integral force control for force trajectory tracking.

Volpe, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1993

Plasma sheath effects on ion collection by a pinhole

The data tabulations presented, which express the results of particle-track trajectories through a simplified plasma-sheath electric field, should prove useful in the assessment of spacecraft 'pinhole-collection' effects. Attention is given to a method accounting for plasma-sheath effects in the application of these results. In addition, scaling rules are given for the application of these calculations to specific cases. A comparison is made between the present model's results and those of recent ion current measurements. Good agreement is obtained.

Herr, Joel L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Learning a trajectory using adjoint functions and teacher forcing

A new methodology for faster supervised temporal learning in nonlinear neural networks is presented which builds upon the concept of adjoint operators to allow fast computation of the gradients of an error functional with respect to all parameters of the neural architecture, and exploits the concept of teacher forcing to incorporate information on the desired output into the activation dynamics. The importance of the initial or final time conditions for the adjoint equations is discussed. A new algorithm is presented in which the adjoint equations are solved simultaneously (i.e., forward in time) with the activation dynamics of the neural network. We also indicate how teacher forcing can be modulated in time as learning proceeds. The results obtained show that the learning time is reduced by one to two orders of magnitude with respect to previously published results, while trajectory tracking is significantly improved. The proposed methodology makes hardware implementation of temporal learning attractive for real-time applications.

Toomarian, Nikzad B.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Development of Formation Deployment and Intialization Concepts

NASA's Cross-Cutting Technology Development Program identified formation flying as a key enabler for the next generation Earth and Sciences campaign. It is hoped that this technology will allow a distributed network of autonomous satellites to act collaboratively as a single collective unit paving the way for extensive co-observing campaigns, coordinated multi-point observing programs, improved space-based interferometry, and entirely new approaches to conducting science. APL as a team member with GSFC, funded by the Earth Sciences and Technology Organization (ESTO), investigated formation deployment and initialization concepts which is central to the formation flying concept. This paper presents the analytical approach and preliminary results of the study. The study investigated a simple mission involving the deployment of six micro-satellites, one at a time, from a bus. At the initialization state, the satellites fly in an along-track trajectory separated by nominal spacing. The study entailed the development of a two-body (bus and satellite) relative motion propagator based on Clohessy-Wiltshire (C-W) equations with drag from which the relative motion of the micro-satellites is deduced. This code was used to investigate cluster development characteristics subject to "tip-off' (ejection) conditions. Results indicate that cluster development is very sensitive to the ballistic coefficients of the bus and satellites, and to relative ejection velocity. This information can be used to identify optimum deployment parameters, along with accuracy bounds for a particular mission, and to develop a cluster control strategy minimizing global fuel and cost. A suitable control strategy concept has been identified, however, it needs to be developed further.

Badesha, Surjit S.↗
NASA NTRS1996

The Astronomical Low-Frequency Array

An array of satellites is proposed to make astronomic observations in the low frequency range of a few tens of MHz down to roughly 100 kHz, a range that cannot be observed through the ionosphere. The array would be in a solar orbit to avoid radio interference from Earth and to simplify trajectory tracking and control.

low-frequency array radio astronomy microsats↗
NASA NTRS2004

Thermal Structure of the TTL and Its Relation to Stratospheric-Tropospheric Exchange of Water

This document describes the annual cycle of the trajectory track line (TTL) fine scale thermal structure as captured by global positioning system (GPS) radio occultation and the pressure levels of the East Meets West Foundation (EMWF) weather analysis. This annual cycle is compared to the annual cycle in water concentrations measured by the HALogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE). A comparison between saturation mixing ratios at the temperatures captured by GPS radio occultation and HALOE concentrations of water vapor shows an annual cycle that is dominated by supersaturation in the boreal winter months, when the upward mass fluxes are larger, and subsaturation in the summer. The longitudinal dependence of these cycles is discussed as well as the possible implications for the seasonality of stratospheric-troposheric exchanges of water.

climates↗
NASA NTRS2015

System Design and Locomotion of Superball, an Untethered Tensegrity Robot

The Spherical Underactuated Planetary Exploration Robot ball (SUPERball) is an ongoing project within NASA Ames Research Center's Intelligent Robotics Group and the Dynamic Tensegrity Robotics Lab (DTRL). The current SUPERball is the first full prototype of this tensegrity robot platform, eventually destined for space exploration missions. This work, building on prior published discussions of individual components, presents the fully-constructed robot. Various design improvements are discussed, as well as testing results of the sensors and actuators that illustrate system performance. Basic low-level motor position controls are implemented and validated against sensor data, which show SUPERball to be uniquely suited for highly dynamic state trajectory tracking. Finally, SUPERball is shown in a simple example of locomotion. This implementation of a basic motion primitive shows SUPERball in untethered control.

Tensegrity↗
NASA NTRS2020

Modeling and Control of Robot-Structure Coupling During In-Space Structure Assembly

This paper considers the problem of robot-structure coupling dynamics during in-space robotic assembly of large flexible structures. A two-legged walking robot is used as a construction agent, whose primary goal is to stably walking on the flexible structure while carrying a substructure component to a designated location. The reaction forces inserted by the structure to the walking robot are treated as bounded disturbance inputs, and a trajectory tracking robotic controller is proposed that combines the standard full state feedback motion controller and an adaptive controller to account for the disturbance inputs. In this study, a reduced-order Euler-Bernoulli beam structure model is adapted, and a finite number of co-located sensors and actuators are distributed along the span of the beam structure. The robot-structure coupling forces are treated as a bounded external forcing function to the structure, and hence an output covariance constraint problem can be formulated, in terms of linear matrix inequality, for optimal structure control by utilizing the direct output feedback controllers. The numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed robot-structure modeling and control methodology.

Swei, Sean↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparison of Acoustic Models and Trajectory Generation Methods for an Acoustically-Aware Aircraft

This paper presents a comparison of trajectory generation methodologies using acoustic source noise models of different fidelity for motion planning for an acoustically-aware aircraft subject to constraints on the vehicle dynamic performance, mission, and acoustic footprint of the vehicle at a set of (three-dimensional) observer locations. The performance of a pre-mission Bézier curve-based planner and a (near) real-time stochastic model predictive control planner are compared. Additionally, a comparison is made between the motion planning performance using a lower-fidelity acoustic model based on propeller tip Mach number and omni-directional sound power radiation, and a hemisphere-based higher-fidelity acoustic model. It is demonstrated that the asymmetry in hemisphere-based acoustic model can be exploited for improved flight path planning and trajectory-tracking performance in the presence of acoustic constraints.

Kasey A Ackerman↗
NASA NTRS2025

Erosion Behavior of Ti-hBN Multifunctional Coatings in A Custom-Made Planetary Test Rig at Extreme Lunar Temperatures

Spacecraft landings and takeoffs on the lunar surface, along with extreme temperature variations between day and night (-196 to 150° C), cause high-velocity dust impacts and erosion, resulting in the premature failure of structures. Ti/2 vol% hBN coatings were deposited using atmospheric (APS) and vacuum plasma spray (VPS) using cryo-milled powder feedstock to protect the structural components. The erosion performance of coatings at extreme lunar temperature regimes (-150 to 150° C) was evaluated in a custom-made planetary erosion test rig (PETR) at low (50 mph) and high impact velocities (250 mph). The mass loss of VPS coatings was reduced by 50% compared to the APS coatings and 40% compared to the Ti6Al4V substrate. The cryogenic temperature induces brittleness in the material, rendering it susceptible to extreme conditions of material loss. The particle impact-deformation behavior was captured using a high-speed camera to study the erosion mechanism. This analysis revealed chipping in substrates and brittle APS coatings, while particles rebounding and embedding were observed in VPS coatings. Energy calculations, aided by particle trajectory tracking from the high-speed camera, have conclusively shown that VPS coatings absorb 5–10% more energy than APS coatings during erosion tests. A modified erosion index was developed incorporating the fracture toughness and temperatures. New erosion models for brittle and ductile target materials are proposed for developing erosion-resistant material systems.

Abhijith Kunneparambil Sukumaran↗
NASA NTRS2020

In-Time UAV Flight-Trajectory Estimation and Tracking Using Bayesian Filters

Rapid increase of UAV operation in the next decade in areas of on-demand delivery, medical transportation services, law enforcement, traffic surveillance and several others pose potential risks to the low altitude airspace above densely populated areas. Safety assessment of airspace demands the need for a novel UAV traffic management (UTM) framework for regulation and tracking of the vehicles. Particularly for low-altitude UAV operations, quality of GPS measurements feeding into the UAV is often compromised by loss of communication link caused by presence of trees or tall buildings in proximity to the UAV flight path. Inaccurate GPS locations may yield to unreliable monitoring and inaccurate prognosis of remaining battery life and other safety metrics which rely on future expected trajectory of the UAV. This work therefore proposes a generalized monitoring and prediction methodology for autonomous UAVs using in-time GPS measurements. Firstly, a typical 4D smooth trajectory generation technique from a series of waypoint locations with associated expected times-of-arrival based on B-spline curves is presented. Initial uncertainty in the vehicle's expected cruise velocity is quantified to compute confidence intervals along the entire flight trajectory using error interval propagation approach. Further, the generated planned trajectory is considered as the prior knowledge which is updated during its flight with incoming GPS measurements in order to estimate its current location and corresponding kinematic profiles. Estimation of position is denoted in dicrete state-space representation such that position at a future time step is derived from position and velocity at current time step and expected velocity at the future time step. A linear Bayesian filtering algorithm is employed to efficiently refine position estimation from noisy GPS measurements and update the confidence intervals. Further, a dynamic re-planning strategy is implemented to incorporate unexpected detour or delay scenarios. Finally, critical challenges related to uncertainty quantification in trajectory prognosis for autonomous vehicles are identified, and potential solutions are discussed at the end of the paper. The entire monitoring framework is demonstrated on real UAV flight experiments conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center.

Banerjee, Portia↗