Force control of a very lightweight single-link flexible arm based on coupling torque feedback

In this paper, a feedback control law is proposed for regulating the contact force exerted by a very lightweight single-link flexible manipulator when it comes into contact with a motionless object. This control law is based on a lumped-parameter model. The tracking of the desired contact force is obtained by using a feedback loop control of the coupling torque between the motor and the flexible arm. To achieve a good performance on the force control it is only necessary to measure the coupling torque at the root of the arm. Neither the contact force sensor nor the angular position sensor of the motor are used in the control method. A modified PID controller is proposed for this control law. In this work the force control problem is studied for both free and constrained motions of the flexible manipulator, and a collision detection algorithm is also described. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.