A Rigid Body Observer (BObs) Considering Pfaffian Constraints With a Pose Regulation Framework

Pfaffian (velocity) constraints are encountered commonly in mechanical systems. In many cases, the measurements for feedback control are obtained from an exteroceptive sensor system, which is not only of low rate, but also suffers from physical discontinuities. This negatively affects controller performance and places severe limitations on the choice of control parameters. To this end, a novel framework comprised of a rigid Body Observer (BObs) and a pose regulator is proposed. During the inter-sampling periods, the observer propagates the state based on an internal model to provide continuous estimates, which are exploited by the pose regulator to stabilize equilibria. We prove uniform asymptotic stability for the closed loop. Furthermore, we validate the proposed framework through simulation and also the BObs experimentally.

Automated summary

The article proposes a new framework consisting of a rigid Body Observer (BObs) and a pose regulator to address the commonly encountered Pfaffian (velocity) constraints in mechanical systems. The framework provides continuous estimates through the observer and stabilizes equilibrium states through the pose regulator.