Optically driven learning control for industrial manipulators

Dynamic interactions between the robot manipulator and its environment introduce control complications, and unmodeled dynamics and flexibilities in the manipulator itself introduce additional uncertainties. An optically based learning controller that can utilize past experience and sensory information about the current state to overcome these difficulties is presented. An inexpensive, single-function optical sensor uses a light-emitting diode and eight detectors to provide information on the distance normal to the surface of a workpiece. The method is implemented on a GE-P50 robot and can be used to track the unknown surface of the workpiece.<
>