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Linear and nonlinear control of a robotic excavator

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Abstract

Various control systems for a robotic excavator named LUCIE (Lancaster University Computerized and Intelligent Excavator), were investigated. The excavator is being developed to dig trenches autonomously. One stumbling block is the achievement of adequate, accurate, quick and smooth movement under automatic control. Here, both classical and modern approaches are considered, including proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control tuned by conventional Zigler-Nichols rules, linear proportional-integral-plus (PIP) control, and a novel nonlinear PIP controller based on a state-dependent parameter (SDP) model structure, in which the parameters are functionally dependent on other variables in the system. Implementation results for the excavator joint arms control demonstrate that SDP-PIP controller provides the improved performance with fast, smooth and accurate response in comparison with both PID and linearized PIP control.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical and Electric Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China

    Jun Gu  (顾军), Jun-fang Ni  (倪俊芳) & Li-ning Sun  (孙立宁)

  2. Engineering Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YR, UK

    Xian-dong Ma

Authors
  1. Jun Gu  (顾军)
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  2. Xian-dong Ma
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  3. Jun-fang Ni  (倪俊芳)
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  4. Li-ning Sun  (孙立宁)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jun Gu  (顾军).

Additional information

Foundation item: Work supported by the Lancaster University, UK and Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory of Advanced Robotics, SooChow University, China; Project(BK2009509) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China; Project(K5117827) supported by the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Scholars, Ministry of Education of China; Project(Q3117918) supported by the Scientific Research Foundation for Young Teachers of Soochow University, China

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Gu, J., Ma, Xd., Ni, Jf. et al. Linear and nonlinear control of a robotic excavator. J. Cent. South Univ. 19, 1823–1831 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-012-1215-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-012-1215-y

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