A Reaction-Based Stabilizer for Nonmodel-Based Vibration Control of Cable-Driven Parallel Robots

Considering a simplified model of cables is an essential assumption in the design of state-estimator and vibration control of cable-driven parallel robots (CDPRs). Such an assumption however, impacts the effectiveness of controllers and state-estimators in such systems. This article presents a reaction-based stabilizer for nonmodel-based vibration control of CDPRs to address such model dependence. It is proved analytically that by using only three actuators and not involving the cable-connected winches, the proposed stabilizer regulates all undesired vibrations of the platform. It is also shown that the proposed stabilizer needs only the directly measurable position and velocity of its actuators to form its closed-loop control feedback signals. Effectiveness of the proposed system is more significant in CDPRs with considerable nonlinear effects of cables, where such effects are computationally costly to model, such that the performance of real-time controllers and state-estimators are spoiled. To provide a case study, a multibody nonlinear dynamic model of a suspended CDPR equipped-with the proposed stabilizer with zero cable damping effects is developed in SimMechanics/ MATLAB , where a fine-tuned proportional-derivative controller is applied on each actuator to suppress all vibrations of the system. In addition, a suspended CDPR with extremely stretchable nonlinear-stiffness elastomer cables is fabricated and tested, where performance of the proposed stabilizer to suppress the high-amplitude nonlinear oscillations of the whole system is demonstrated.