Minimal energy Cartesian impedance control of robot with bidirectional antagonistic drives

Abstract

This paper investigates how to split actuating torques between prime movers in bidirectional antagonistic actuators to obtain desired Cartesian stiffness with minimal energy store. Minimal energy in elastic elements during robot motion will ensure maximal energy storage capacity in case of a collision. The correlation between joint stiffness and energy stored in springs is demonstrated. A simulation case study targets a two DOF-s robot driven by QBMove maker pro actuator. Finally, a control scheme comprising impedance control and equal torque distribution between two bidirectional antagonistic drives is derived and validated through simulations.