Force control

Abstract

Robotic force control refers to the control and programmable specification of the interaction forces between a robot end effector and the work object, where either the end effector or the work object is attached to the robot manipulator. A rudimentary approach is to consider the joint torques and controlled variables and then to compute those torques such that a presumably rigid manipulator executes the desired forces. In practice, however, manipulators are not rigid, joint torques are accomplished from servo-controlled motors via joint transmissions with nonlinear dynamics, and the control structure has to obey stakeholder aspects in industry. Based on algorithmic insights and experiences from industrial applications, the subject matter of force control is explained with core scientific approaches as the starting point, then extending the descriptions such that the industrial aspects are covered via established principles for joint servo control.