Control of space free-flying robot

Both theoretical and experimental studies on the control of a free-flying robot manipulator for space application are presented. The goal of the studies is to develop a new control method for target capturing in a space micro-gravity environment, considering the dynamical interaction between the manipulator operation and the base vehicle motion. In the theoretical study, a generalized Jacobian matrix (GJM) concept of motion control and a guaranteed workspace (GWS) for path planning are investigated. In the experimental study, a laboratory model of a robot satellite supported on air bearings is developed; the model comprises a base satellite and a two-link manipulator arm. An on-line control scheme with vision feedback is developed for experimenting with capture operations, on the basis of the GJM and GWS. The manipulator can properly chase and capture both a standing target and a moving target in spite of the complex satellite/manipulator dynamical interaction.<>