A Lower Extremity Exoskeleton: Human-Machine Coupled Modeling, Robust Control Design, Simulation, and Overload-Carrying Experiment

Abstract

A robust H ∞ control method and switched control algorithm for hydraulic actuator presents in human-machine coordinated motion to solve the motion delay of lower extremity exoskeleton. After the characteristic parameters synthesis of human limb and exoskeleton linkage, the human-machine coupled motion model is constructed to estimate the appropriate hydraulic pressure, which is considered as a structural uncertainty in hydraulic model. Then the robust controller is designed to improve the robust stability and performance under the structural and parametric uncertainty disturbances. Simulation results show that, in walking mode, this robust controller can achieve a better dynamic response and aid-force efficiency than PID controller. Then, according to gait divisions of person's limb motion, the switched control algorithm is designed to reduce the delay of exoskeleton tracking person. Finally, the experimental results show that the human-machine coordinated walk with bearing 60 kg load and squat action with no external load are realized effectively by this proposed method.