On Model Predictive Path Following and Trajectory Tracking for Industrial Robots
This addresses a specific issue in industrial robotics for improved safety and control, but it is incremental as it builds on existing model predictive control methods.
The paper tackles the problem of robotic manipulators stopping at obstructions by comparing model predictive path following and trajectory tracking controllers, showing that the path following controller enables stopping while trajectory tracking cannot, with simulations for a two-link manipulator using an interior point solver.
In this article we show how the model predictive path following controller allows robotic manipulators to stop at obstructions in a way that model predictive trajectory tracking controllers cannot. We present both controllers as applied to robotic manipulators, simulations for a two-link manipulator using an interior point solver, consider discretization of the optimal control problem using collocation or Runge-Kutta, and discuss the real-time viability of our implementation of the model predictive path following controller.