Abstract:

For the energy consumption problem of a multi-legged wall-climbing robot operating at high altitude, a foot force controlling method for multi-legged wall-climbing robot was proposed based on energy consumption optimization. Taking an eight-legged wall-climbing robot for example, a foot force optimization model of the multi-legged wall-climbing robot was described from the view of security and energy consumption while the robot was in operation, and the conversion between the joint driving force and the plantar contact force of the multi-legged robot was implemented, thus reducing the number of the optimal variables effectively and simplifying the optimization calculation. By analyzing the joint driving force constraints and dynamic constraints, a relationship among the total motor power of the robot and the robotic motive gait and the operational environment (including the climbing angle and the roughness of the adsorbed plane) was established. Considering the specificity of the safety of adsorption for the wall-climbing robot, the plantar contact force of the robot was optimized, and the ability of the robot was improved to adapt to the change of environment and the number of supporting legs. Simultaneously, the energy consumption of the joint driving motor is reduced, and the target to minimize the total consumption of the robotic motor is achieved. The experiments and simulation have proved that the proposed control method is simple and feasible.

Key words: multi-legged wall-climbing robot, energy consumption, foot force control, plantar contact force

摘要：

针对多足爬墙机器人高空极限作业时需解决的能耗问题,提出了基于能耗性优化的多足爬墙机器人足力控制方法。以八足爬墙机器人为例,从机器人作业的安全性和能耗性角度描述了多足爬墙机器人的足力优化模型,实现了多足机器人的关节驱动力和足底接触力的转换,有效地减少了优化变量的数量,简化了优化的计算。通过分析多足爬墙机器人的关节驱动力约束和动力学约束,建立了机器人总电机功率与机器人运动步态及作业环境（包括攀爬角度与吸附平面的粗糙度）的关系。并综合考虑了爬墙机器人吸附安全等特殊性,对机器人的足底接触力进行优化,提高机器人对环境变化及支撑腿数量变化的适应能力,降低关节驱动电机的能耗,实现了机器人电机总能耗最小化的目标。实验仿真结果证明了所提出的控制方法简单可行。

关键词: 多足爬墙机器人, 能耗, 足力控制, 足底接触力