Hybrid pose/tension control based on stiffness optimization of cable-driven parallel mechanism in wind tunnel test

Cable driven parallel mechanism is a special kind of parallel robot in which traditional rigid links are replaced by actuated cables. This provides a new suspension method for wind tunnel test, in which an aircraft model is driven by a number of parallel cables to fulfil a series motion. To meet the precision and stability requirement of wind tunnel tests, a hybrid pose and tension control method based on stiffness optimization is proposed, in which the pose is feedback, and the cable tension is feedforward by pre-regulation to improve the main translation and rotation stiffness. A typical sinusoidal motion of aircraft in wind tunnel is taken as an example. Simulation results show that the hybrid control method not only ensures a high precision, but also improves the system stiffness, i.e. the system stability. The results can be used to provide guidance for the cable driven parallel suspension system's application in wind tunnel tests, especially for a larger angle motion with high speed incoming flow.