Skip to main content
Log in

Optimal control of nonholonomic motion planning for a free-falling cat

  • Published:
Applied Mathematics and Mechanics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The nonholonomic motion planning of a free-falling cat is investigated. Nonholonomicity arises in a free-falling cat subject to nonintegrable angle velocity constraints or nonintegrable conservation laws. When the total angular momentum is zero, the motion equation of a free-falling cat is established based on the model of two symmetric rigid bodies and conservation of angular momentum. The control of system can be converted to the problem of nonholonomic motion planning for a free-falling cat. Based on Ritz approximation theory, the Gauss-Newton method for motion planning by a falling cat is proposed. The effectiveness of the numerical algorithm is demonstrated through simulation on model of a free-falling cat.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Jia Shuhui. About a free-falling cat[M]. Beijing: Higher Education Press, 1990 (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  2. McDonald D A. How dose a falling cat turn over[J]. Amer J Physiol, 1955, 129:34–35.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Loitsyansky A I. Theoretical mechanics[M]. Moscow: Saint Petersburg, 1953 (in Russian).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Kane T R, Scher M P. A dynamical explanation of the falling cat phenomenon[J]. Int J Solids Structures, 1969, 5(5):663–670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Liu Yanzhu. On the turning motion of a free-falling cat[J]. Acta Mechanica Sinica, 1982, 14(4):388–393 (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Brockett R W, Dai L. Nonholonomic kinematics and the role of elliptic functions in constructive controllability[C]. In: Li Z, Canny J F (eds). Nonholonomic Motion Planning, Boston: Kluwer, 1993, 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Murray R M, Sastry S S. Nonholonomic motion planning: steering using sinusoids[J]. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 1993, 38(5):700–716.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  8. Reyhanoglu M, Schaft A, McClamroch N, Komlanovsky I. Dynamics and control of a class of underactuated mechanical systems[J]. IEEE Transactions on Automatics Control, 1999, 44(9):1663–1671.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. Leonard N E, Krishnaprasad P S. Motion control of drift-free, left-invariant systems on lie groups[J]. IEEE Transactions on Automatics Control, 1995, 40(9):1539–1554.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  10. Fernandes C, Gurvits L, Li Z. Near-optimal nonholonomic motion planning for a system of coupled rigid bodies[J]. IEEE Transaction Automation Control, 1995, 39(3):450–464.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  11. Liu Yanzhu, Hong Jiazheng, Yang Haixin. Dynamics of multibody systems[M]. Beijing: Higher Education Press, 1990 (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Courant R, Hilbert D. Methods of mathematical physics[M]. Vol. I, New York: Wiley, 1955.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Joshi M C, Moudgalya K M. Optimization-theory and practice[M]. Harrow U K: Alpha Science International Ltd, 2004.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ge Xin-sheng  (戈新生).

Additional information

(Contributed by CHEN Li-qun)

Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.10372014) and the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing (No.1072008)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ge, Xs., Chen, Lq. Optimal control of nonholonomic motion planning for a free-falling cat. Appl Math Mech 28, 601–607 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10483-007-0505-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10483-007-0505-z

Key words

Chinese Library Classification

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification

Navigation