Transformer-gyrator-mixed bilateral control for mobile robot

This paper proposes a motion control method for a remote-controlled vehicle with an accelerator pedal by mixing two types of bilateral control, namely, transformer-type bilateral control and gyrator-type bilateral control. Transformer-type bilateral control has a function to satisfy haptic transmission between the master and slave. However, it has a weakness that the position control limits the movable range of the slave to that of the master in a master-slave system with different configurations. On the other hand, gyrator-type bilateral control has a function that synchronizes the velocity of the one side to the force of the other side. Nevertheless, it has a property that the master and slave position are not controlled. In this paper, the mobile robot is the slave and the pedal robot is the master. The proposed method utilizes the function of gyrator-type bilateral control in differential modal space to couple the tread torque on the pedal to the velocity of the mobile robot. This resolves the restriction on the movable range of the pedal. Simultaneously, a property of transformer-type bilateral control is utilized in common modal space in order to achieve force-based compliance control for the pedal and a feedback of the force information from the mobile robot to the pedal.