Tarcisio Antonio Hess Coelho

Among the advantages of redundantly actuated mechanisms, one can mention the higher operational robustness, the feasibility of reduced power actuators, increasing the load capacity of the mechanism. This work proposes a motion control for a parallel mechanism with actuation redundancy, characterized by simplicity and effectiveness related to the implementation and accuracy, respectively. Hence, an experimental test-bed is built with three main systems, where the end-effector location is directly determined. Regarding the motion planning, some indices are proposed in order to select the appropriate non-redundant actuation modes that can achieve comparable performances with respect to the redundant one. Experimental results evidenced a good correlation between those indices and the path tracking error. For the longest path, the mean and maximum values of this metric for a non-redundant actuation mode were 20 % lower than the redundant mode. Moreover, other experimental tests revealed that the proposed control has the capability to switch between the actuation modes and to overcome type-II singularities.

Among the variety of applications of exoskeletons, it is possible to mention motor rehabilitation, enhancement of human capabilities and providing support to different types of tasks. Despite the remarkable achievements in this field, two major issues still need to be improved in the exoskeleton design methodology, the mechanical design and the controller. Considering that the dynamic modelling approach plays a key role in these issues, this article proposes the use of modular modelling methodology for the development of exoskeletons. Initially, the conceptual design of a lower limb exoskeleton is presented, then its kinematic and dynamic models are calculated. Finally, some performed simulations demonstrate the model consistency and the actuator torques estimation.

During the last two decades, parallel robots have become more ubiquitous, employed in a great variety of sectors, from food to aerospace industries. In fact, they are much more efficient than their serial counterparts in terms of performing fast motions and consuming less energy. However, due to their mechanical complexity, they present a highly complex non-linear dynamics, which makes the modelling and control tasks difficult. Aiming to improve the performance and robustness of the control laws already used to control this type of mechanisms, this paper proposes two hybrid control techniques. The first hybrid control is derived from the combination of a pure PD control with a modified Sliding Mode control. The second hybrid control, in its turn, combines a pure Computed Torque with the altered Sliding Mode control. The proposed modifications in the Sliding Mode control aim to achieve a considerable reduction of the tracking errors and chattering. A stability analysis of the proposed control techniques and an experimental validation are carried out, comparing the performance of the pure and hybrid control laws in a 5R parallel mechanism. Moreover, simulations are also conducted to evaluate the behaviour of a 3-dof spatial parallel robot, when performing a 3D-path. Analysing the simulations and the experimental results, it is possible to observe a significant reduction of the path tracking and steady-state errors in both hybrid control strategies.