Inverse Dynamics for Discrete Geometric Mechanics of Multibody Systems With Application to Direct Optimal Control

Author(s):  
Staffan Björkenstam ◽  
Sigrid Leyendecker ◽  
Joachim Linn ◽  
Johan S. Carlson ◽  
Bengt Lennartson

In this paper, we present efficient algorithms for computation of the residual of the constrained discrete Euler–Lagrange (DEL) equations of motion for tree structured, rigid multibody systems. In particular, we present new recursive formulas for computing partial derivatives of the kinetic energy. This enables us to solve the inverse dynamics problem of the discrete system with linear computational complexity. The resulting algorithms are easy to implement and can naturally be applied to a very broad class of multibody systems by imposing constraints on the coordinates by means of Lagrange multipliers. A comparison is made with an existing software package, which shows a drastic improvement in computational efficiency. Our interest in inverse dynamics is primarily to apply direct transcription optimal control methods to multibody systems. As an example application, we present a digital human motion planning problem, which we solve using the proposed method. Furthermore, we present detailed descriptions of several common joints, in particular singularity-free models of the spherical joint and the rigid body joint, using the Lie groups of unit quaternions and unit dual quaternions, respectively.

Author(s):  
Stefan Reichl ◽  
Wolfgang Steiner

This work presents three different approaches in inverse dynamics for the solution of trajectory tracking problems in underactuated multibody systems. Such systems are characterized by less control inputs than degrees of freedom. The first approach uses an extension of the equations of motion by geometric and control constraints. This results in index-five differential-algebraic equations. A projection method is used to reduce the systems index and the resulting equations are solved numerically. The second method is a flatness-based feedforward control design. Input and state variables can be parameterized by the flat outputs and their time derivatives up to a certain order. The third approach uses an optimal control algorithm which is based on the minimization of a cost functional including system outputs and desired trajectory. It has to be distinguished between direct and indirect methods. These specific methods are applied to an underactuated planar crane and a three-dimensional rotary crane.


Author(s):  
Shangdong Gong ◽  
Redwan Alqasemi ◽  
Rajiv Dubey

Motion planning of redundant manipulators is an active and widely studied area of research. The inverse kinematics problem can be solved using various optimization methods within the null space to avoid joint limits, obstacle constraints, as well as minimize the velocity or maximize the manipulability measure. However, the relation between the torques of the joints and their respective positions can complicate inverse dynamics of redundant systems. It also makes it challenging to optimize cost functions, such as total torque or kinematic energy. In addition, the functional gradient optimization techniques do not achieve an optimal solution for the goal configuration. We present a study on motion planning using optimal control as a pre-process to find optimal pose at the goal position based on the external forces and gravity compensation, and generate a trajectory with optimized torques using the gradient information of the torque function. As a result, we reach an optimal trajectory that can minimize the torque and takes dynamics into consideration. We demonstrate the motion planning for a planar 3-DOF redundant robotic arm and show the results of the optimized trajectory motion. In the simulation, the torque generated by an external force on the end-effector as well as by the motion of every link is made into an integral over the squared torque norm. This technique is expected to take the torque of every joint into consideration and generate better motion that maintains the torques or kinematic energy of the arm in the safe zone. In future work, the trajectories of the redundant manipulators will be optimized to generate more natural motion as in humanoid arm motion. Similar to the human motion strategy, the robot arm is expected to be able to lift weights held by hands, the configuration of the arm is changed along from the initial configuration to a goal configuration. Furthermore, along with weighted least norm (WLN) solutions, the optimization framework will be more adaptive to the dynamic environment. In this paper, we present the development of our methodology, a simulated test and discussion of the results.


Author(s):  
Janzen Lo ◽  
Dimitris Metaxas

Abstract We present an efficient optimal control based approach to simulate dynamically correct human movements. We model virtual humans as a kinematic chain consisting of serial, closed-loop, and tree-structures. To overcome the complexity limitations of the classical Lagrangian formulation and to include knowledge from biomechanical studies, we have developed a minimum-torque motion planning method. This new method is based on the use of optimal control theory within a recursive dynamics framework. Our dynamic motion planning methodology achieves high efficiency regardless of the figure topology. As opposed to a Lagrangian formulation, it obviates the need for the reformulation of the dynamic equations for different structured articulated figures. We use a quasi-Newton method based nonlinear programming technique to solve our minimum torque-based human motion planning problem. This method achieves superlinear convergence. We use the screw theoretical method to compute analytically the necessary gradient of the motion and force. This provides a better conditioned optimization computation and allows the robust and efficient implementation of our method. Cubic spline functions have been used to make the search space for an optimal solution finite. We demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed method based on a variety of human motion tasks involving open and closed loop kinematic chains. Our models are built using parameters chosen from an anthropomorphic database. The results demonstrate that our approach generates natural looking and physically correct human motions.


Author(s):  
Bukoko C. Ikoki ◽  
Marc J. Richard ◽  
Mohamed Bouazara ◽  
Sélim Datoussaïd

The library of symbolic C++ routines is broadly used throughout the world. In this article, we consider its application in the symbolic treatment of rigid multibody systems through a new software KINDA (KINematic & Dynamic Analysis). Besides the attraction which represents the symbolic approach and the effectiveness of this algorithm, the capacities of algebraical manipulations of symbolic routines are exploited to produce concise and legible differential equations of motion for reduced size mechanisms. These equations also constitute a powerful tool for the validation of symbolic generation algorithms other than by comparing results provided by numerical methods. The appeal in the software KINDA resides in the capability to generate the differential equations of motion from the choice of the multibody formalism adopted by the analyst.


1999 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 986-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Saha

Constrained dynamic equations of motion of serial multibody systems consisting of rigid bodies in a serial kinematic chain are derived in this paper. First, the Newton-Euler equations of motion of the decoupled rigid bodies of the system at hand are written. Then, with the aid of the decoupled natural orthogonal complement (DeNOC) matrices associated with the velocity constraints of the connecting bodies, the Euler-Lagrange independent equations of motion are derived. The De NOC is essentially the decoupled form of the natural orthogonal complement (NOC) matrix, introduced elsewhere. Whereas the use of the latter provides recursive order n—n being the degrees-of-freedom of the system at hand—inverse dynamics and order n3 forward dynamics algorithms, respectively, the former leads to recursive order n algorithms for both the cases. The order n algorithms are desirable not only for their computational efficiency but also for their numerical stability, particularly, in forward dynamics and simulation, where the system’s accelerations are solved from the dynamic equations of motion and subsequently integrated numerically. The algorithms are illustrated with a three-link three-degrees-of-freedom planar manipulator and a six-degrees-of-freedom Stanford arm.


Author(s):  
Peter Betsch ◽  
Ralf Siebert ◽  
Nicolas Sa¨nger

The formulation of multibody dynamics in terms of natural coordinates (NCs) leads to equations of motion in the form of differential-algebraic equations (DAEs). A characteristic feature of the natural coordinates approach is a constant mass matrix. The DAEs make possible (i) the systematic assembly of open-loop and closed-loop multibody systems, (ii) the design of state-of-the-art structure-preserving integrators such as energy-momentum or symplectic-momentum schemes, and (iii) the direct link to nonlinear finite element methods. However, the use of NCs in the optimal control of multibody systems presents two major challenges. First, the consistent application of actuating joint-forces becomes an issue since conjugate joint-coordinates are not directly available. Secondly, numerical methods for optimal control with index-3 DAEs are still in their infancy. The talk will address the two aforementioned issues. In particular, a new energy-momentum consistent method for the optimal control of multibody systems in terms of NCs will be presented.


Author(s):  
Peter Betsch ◽  
Ralf Siebert ◽  
Nicolas Sänger

The formulation of multibody dynamics in terms of natural coordinates (NCs) leads to equations of motion in the form of differential-algebraic equations (DAEs). A characteristic feature of the natural coordinates approach is a constant mass matrix. The DAEs make possible (i) the systematic assembly of open-loop and closed-loop multibody systems, (ii) the design of state-of-the-art structure-preserving integrators such as energy-momentum or symplectic-momentum schemes, and (iii) the direct link to nonlinear finite element methods. However, the use of NCs in the optimal control of multibody systems presents two major challenges. First, the consistent application of actuating joint-forces becomes an issue since conjugate joint-coordinates are not directly available. Second, numerical methods for optimal control with index-3 DAEs are still in their infancy. The talk will address the two aforementioned issues. In particular, a new energy-momentum consistent method for the optimal control of multibody systems in terms of NCs will be presented.


Procedia CIRP ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 20-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Staffan Björkenstam ◽  
Niclas Delfs ◽  
Johan S. Carlson ◽  
Robert Bohlin ◽  
Bengt Lennartson

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