In order to eliminate the influence of the joint torsional vibration on the system operation accuracy, the parameter identification and the elastic torsional vibration control of a flexible-joint robot are studied. Firstly, the flexible-joint robot system is equivalent to a rotor dynamic system, in which the mass block and the torsion spring are used to simulate the system inertia link and elasticity link, for establishing the system dynamic model, and the experimental prototype is constructed. Then, based on the mechanism method, the global electromechanical-coupling dynamic model of the flexible-joint robot system is constructed to clear and define the mapping relationship between the driving voltage of the DC motor and the rotational speed of joint I and joint II. Furthermore, in view of the contradiction between the system response speed and the system overshoot in the vibration suppression effect of the conventional PID controller, a fuzzy PID controller, whose parameters are determined by the different requirements in the vibration control process, is designed to adjust the driving voltage of the DC motor for attenuating the system torsional vibration. Finally, simulation and control experiments are carried out and the results show that the designed fuzzy PID controller can effectively suppress the elastic torsional vibration of the flexible-joint robot system with synchronization optimization of control accuracy and dynamic quality.

Aiming to the torsional vibration destabilization phenomenon of the wheel-side transmission system direct-driven by the high-power motor, the system torsional vibration bifurcation characteristics and control strategy are analyzed. Through defining the system electromechanical coupling relationship between the electrical link and the mechanical link, the dynamic model of the wheel-side direct-driven transmission system is constructed. Then, based on the Routh–Hurwitz stability criterion, the system Hopf bifurcation characteristics caused by the change of the wheel-ground friction during driving are revealed. Furthermore, with the nonlinear feedback controller and the Washout filter combined, the system torsional vibration stabilization controller is constructed by introducing the system torsional vibration signals into the motor control voltage. The results show that the linear part of the torsional vibration stabilization controller can effectively change the system stability region, as well as the cubic nonlinear part of the torsional vibration stabilization controller can control the stability of the system bifurcation points and suppress the limit cycle amplitude. The research results can provide theoretical basis and technical support for the performance improvement and integrated application of the wheel-side direct-driven transmission system in the electric bus.

Effective feedback control requires all state variable information of the system. However, in the translational flexible-link manipulator (TFM) system, it is unrealistic to measure the vibration signals and their time derivative of any points of the TFM by infinite sensors. With the rigid-flexible coupling between the global motion of the rigid base and the elastic vibration of the flexible-link manipulator considered, a two-time scale virtual sensor, which includes the speed observer and the vibration observer, is designed to achieve the estimation for the vibration signals and their time derivative of the TFM, as well as the speed observer and the vibration observer are separately designed for the slow and fast subsystems, which are decomposed from the dynamic model of the TFM by the singular perturbation. Additionally, based on the linear-quadratic differential games, the observer gains of the two-time scale virtual sensor are optimized, which aims to minimize the estimation error while keeping the observer stable. Finally, the numerical calculation and experiment verify the efficiency of the designed two-time scale virtual sensor.

The robotic grinding system for a thin-walled workpiece is a multi-dimensional coupling system composed of a robot, a grinding spindle and the thin-walled workpiece. In the grinding process, a dynamic coupling effect is generated, while the thin-walled workpiece stimulates elastic vibration; the grinding spindle, as an electromechanical coupling actuator, is sensitive to the elastic vibration in the form of load fluctuations. It is necessary to investigate the electromechanical coupling dynamic characteristics under the vibration coupling of the thin-walled workpiece as well as the vibration control of the robotic grinding system. Firstly, considering the dynamic coupling effect between the grinding spindle and thin-walled workpiece, a dynamic model of the grinding spindle and thin-walled workpiece coupling system is established. Secondly, based on this established coupling dynamic model, the vibration characteristics of the thin-walled workpiece and the electromechanical coupling dynamic characteristics of the grinding spindle are investigated. Finally, a speed adaptive control system for the grinding spindle is designed based on a fuzzy PI controller, which can achieve a stable speed for the grinding spindle under vibration coupling and has a certain suppression effect on the elastic vibration of the thin-walled workpiece at the same time.

Robotic grasping is a common operation scenario in industry and agriculture, in which the force sensing function is a significant factor to achieve reliable grasping. Existing force sensing methods of flexible grippers require intelligent materials or force sensors embedded in the flexible gripper, which causes such problems of higher manufacturing requirements and contact surface properties changing. In this paper, a novel rope-driven force sensing flexible gripper is designed based on the fin-shaped gripper structure, which can realize the grasping sensing functions of contact nodes and contact forces without the need for force sensors. Firstly, the rope-driven force sensing flexible gripper is designed, including the driving unit, the transmission part, the gripper unit, and the force sensing unit. The force sensing unit and the gripper unit are connected by rope, and the prototype of the rope-driven force sensing flexible gripper is completed. Secondly, a force sensing algorithm and control system based on finite element method and grasping geometric relationship are designed to realize the rope-driven force sensing flexible gripper grasping control and sensor data acquisition and processing. Finally, the experimental system of the rope-driven force sensing flexible gripper is built, and the grasping experimental tests of objects with different diameters and different contact nodes are carried out to verify the force sensing function of the rope-driven force sensing flexible gripper. The force sensing flexible gripper designed in this paper can provide a new idea for the design and force sensing method of intelligent robotic grasping system in robotic teaching, scientific research, and industrial applications.