Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “motion control”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

A Unified Approach to Motion Control of Motion Robots

This paper presents a simple on-line approach for motion control of mobile robots made up of a manipulator arm mounted on a mobile base. The proposed approach is equally applicable to nonholonomic mobile robots, such as rover-mounted manipulators and to holonomic mobile robots such as tracked robots or compound manipulators. The computational efficiency of the proposed control scheme makes it particularly suitable for real-time implementation.

motion control↗
NASA NTRS1994

An open architecture motion controller

Nomad, an open architecture motion controller, is described. It is formed by a combination of TMOS, C-WORKS, and other utilities. Nomad software runs in a UNIX environment and provides for sensor-controlled robotic motions, with user replaceable kinematics. It can also be tailored for highly specialized applications. Open controllers such as Nomad should have a major impact on the robotics industry.

Rossol, Lothar↗
NASA NTRS1988

Optimization of motion control laws for tether crawler or elevator systems

Based on the proposal of a motion control law by Lorenzini (1987), a method is developed for optimizing motion control laws for tether crawler or elevator systems in terms of the performance measures of travel time, the smoothness of acceleration and deceleration, and the maximum values of velocity and acceleration. The Lorenzini motion control law, based on powers of the hyperbolic tangent function, is modified by the addition of a constant-velocity section, and this modified function is then optimized by parameter selections to minimize the peak acceleration value for a selected travel time or to minimize travel time for the selected peak values of velocity and acceleration. It is shown that the addition of a constant-velocity segment permits further optimization of the motion control law performance.

Swenson, Frank R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The AFIT gross motion control project

The objective of the Gross Motion Control project is to study alternative control approaches that will provide payload invariant high speed trajectory tracking for nonrepetitive motions in free space. The research has concentrated on modifications to the model-based control structure. Development and evaluation is being actively pursued of both adaptive primary (inner loop) and robust secondary (output loop) controllers. In-house developments are compared and contrasted to the techniques proposed by other researchers. The case study for the evaluation is the first three links of a PUMA-560. Incorporating the principals of multiple model adaptive estimation, artificial neural networks, and Lyapunov theory into the model based paradigm has shown the potential for enhanced tracking. Secondary controllers based on Quantitative Feedback Theory, or augmented with auxiliary inputs, significantly improve the robustness to payload variations and unmodeled drive system dynamics. An overview is presented of the different concepts under investigation and a sample is provided of the latest experimental results.

Leahy, M. B., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Programmable System for Motion Control

The need for improved flow measurements in the flow path of aeronautics testing facilities has led the NASA Glenn Research Center to develop a new motion control system. The new system is programmable, offering a flexibility unheard of in previous systems. The motion control system is PLC-based, which leads to highly accurate positioning ability, as well as reliability. The user interface is a software-based HMI package, which also adds flexibility to the overall system. The system also has the ability to create and execute motion profiles. This paper discusses the system's operation, control implementation, and experiences.

Nowlin, Brent C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Motion Control of Rover-Mounted Manipulators

This paper presents a simple online approach for motion control of rover-mounted manipulators. An integrated kinetic model of the rover-plus-manipulator system is derived which incorporates the nonholonomic rover constraint with the holonomic end-effector constraint. The redundancy introduced by the rover mobility is exploited to perform a set of user-specified additional tasks during end-effector motion. The configuration control approach is utilized to satisfy the nonholonomic rover constraint, while accomplishing the end-effector motion and the redundancy resolution goal simultaneously. This framework allows the user to assign weighting factors to the rover movement and manipulator motion, as well as to each task specification. The computational efficiency of the control scheme makes it particularly suitable for real-time implementation. The proposed method is applied to a planar two-jointed arm mounted on a rover, and computer simulation results are presented for illustration.

robotics rover manipulator holonomic end-effector ↗
NASA NTRS1993

Motion control of 7-DOF arms - The configuration control approach

Graphics simulation and real-time implementation of configuration control schemes for a redundant 7-DOF Robotics Research arm are described. The arm kinematics and motion control schemes are described briefly. This is followed by a description of a graphics simulation environment for 7-DOF arm control on the Silicon Graphics IRIS Workstation. Computer simulation results are presented to demonstrate elbow control, collision avoidance, and optimal joint movement as redundancy resolution goals. The laboratory setup for experimental validation of motion control of the 7-DOF Robotics Research arm is then described. The configuration control approach is implemented on a Motorola-68020/VME-bus-based real-time controller, with elbow positioning for redundancy resolution. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of configuration control for real-time control.

Seraji, Homayoun↗
NASA NTRS1993

Controlled motion in an elastic world

The flexibility of the drives and structures of controlled motion systems are presented as an obstacle to be overcome in the design of high performance motion systems, particularly manipulator arms. The task and the measure of performance to be applied determine the technology appropriate to overcome this obstacle. Included in the technologies proposed are control algorithms (feedback and feed forward), passive damping enhancement, operational strategies, and structural design. Modeling of the distributed, nonlinear system is difficult, and alternative approaches are discussed. The author presents personal perspectives on the history, status, and future directions in this area.

Book, Wayne J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Autonomous vehicle motion control, approximate maps, and fuzzy logic

Progress on research on the control of actions of autonomous mobile agents using fuzzy logic is presented. The innovations described encompass theoretical and applied developments. At the theoretical level, results of research leading to the combined utilization of conventional artificial planning techniques with fuzzy logic approaches for the control of local motion and perception actions are presented. Also formulations of dynamic programming approaches to optimal control in the context of the analysis of approximate models of the real world are examined. Also a new approach to goal conflict resolution that does not require specification of numerical values representing relative goal importance is reviewed. Applied developments include the introduction of the notion of approximate map. A fuzzy relational database structure for the representation of vague and imprecise information about the robot's environment is proposed. Also the central notions of control point and control structure are discussed.

Ruspini, Enrique H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Controlled motion in an elastic world. Research project: Manipulation strategies for massive space payloads

The flexibility of the drives and structures of controlled motion systems are presented as an obstacle to be overcome in the design of high performance motion systems, particularly manipulator arms. The task and the measure of performance to be applied determine the technology appropriate to overcome this obstacle. Included in the technologies proposed are control algorithms (feedback and feed forward), passive damping enhancement, operational strategies, and structural design. Modeling of the distributed, nonlinear system is difficult, and alternative approaches are discussed. The author presents personal perspectives on the history, status, and future directions in this area.

Book, Wayne J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Pharmacology in space. Part 2. Controlling motion sickness

In this second article in the two-part series on pharmacology in space, Claire Lathers and colleagues discuss the pharmacology of drugs used to control motion sickness in space and note that the pharmacology of the 'ideal' agent has yet to be worked out. That motion sickness may impair the pharmacological action of a drug by interfering with its absorption and distribution because of alteration of physiology is a problem unique to pharmacology in space. The authors comment on the problem of designing suitable ground-based studies to evaluate the pharmacological effect of drugs to be used in space and discuss the use of salivary samples collected during space flight to allow pharmacokinetic evaluations necessary for non-invasive clinical drug monitoring.

STS Shuttle Project↗
NASA NTRS1986

Plate motion controls on back-arc spreading

The motions of the subducting and the overriding plates influence the spatial and temporal distribution of back-arc spreading. Cenozoic plate motions in hot spot-fixed and no-net-rotation reference frames were studied with attention to correlations between changes in motion and episodes of back-arc spreading in the western Pacific. The results suggest that major back-arc opening occurs when both the overriding plate retreats from the trench in an absolute sense and the subducting plate undergoes a significant speed-up. Neither phenomenon alone is sufficient to initiate spreading. Three major plate velocity increases can be identified in the Cenozoic: (1) the Pacific plate 5-9 Ma; (2) the Indian plate at 27 Ma; and (3) the Pacific plate at 43 Ma, due to its shift from northerly to more westerly motion. At the present time, the Indian and Philippine are the only overriding plates that are retreating from their Pacific trenches and back-arc spreading occurs only on these two retreating plates. Although the Indian plate has been retreating for at least 25 Ma, back-arc spreading began only following the Pacific plate speed-up 5-9 Ma. Earlier, during the Indian plate speed-up, no overriding plates were retreating strongly and no back-arc spreading epsiodes are preserved from this time. For the earliest Pacific plate shift at 43 Ma, the Eurasian plate was not advancing, thus creating the only favorable plate kinematic conditions in the Cenozoic for back-arc basin formation in this region. It is unclear whether extension in the Japan Sea is a result of these conditions.

Fein, J. B.↗