Hostname: page-component-5c6d5d7d68-wbk2r Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-16T08:44:22.190Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Experiences in the development of a teleoperated parallel robot for aerial line maintenance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2011

Cecilia Garcia*
Affiliation:
Centre for Automation and Robotics UPM – CSIC, Ronda de Valencia, 3 (28012), Madrid, Spain
Roque Saltaren
Affiliation:
Centre for Automation and Robotics UPM – CSIC, Jose Gutierrez Abascal, 2 (28006), Madrid, Spain
Rafael Aracil
Affiliation:
Centre for Automation and Robotics UPM – CSIC, Jose Gutierrez Abascal, 2 (28006), Madrid, Spain
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: cecilia.garcia@upm.es

Summary

This paper presents the teleoperation of a parallel robot based on the Stewart–Gough platform. The robot is an experimental prototype capable of sliding along electrical lines in order to carry out different inspection and maintenance tasks. The paper also describes the kinematic equations of the parallel robot and their solution. The teleoperation of the prototype took place in a testing bank developed in the laboratory and containing the basic elements of electrical lines. The operator who performs the task uses a six degrees-of-freedom master-arm with force reflection, which also has an image-viewing system providing the operator with stereoscopic vision and allowing him/her to calibrate the information of the local station simulator with the real environment through the blending of images. The paper also presents the results of the laboratory experiments of the robot sliding along a line.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

The authors are with the Department of Automatica, Ing. Electronica e Inf. Industrial, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain (e-mail: mferre@etsii.upm.es).

References

1.Aracil, R., Peñin, L. F., Ferre, M. and Barrientos, A., “ROBTET: Robot for Live-Line Maintenance,” Proceedings of the International Conference on Live Maintenance (ICOLIM'96), Venice, Italy (Oct. 1996) pp. 365374.Google Scholar
2.Aracil, R., Ferre, M., Hernando, M., Pinto, E. and Sebastián, J. M., “Telerobotic system for live-power line maintenance: ROBTET,” Control Eng. Pract. 10, 12711281 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Maruyama, Y., “Robot applications for hot-line maintenance,” Ind. Robot: Int. J. 27 (5), 357365 (2000).Google Scholar
4.Takaoka, K., Yokoyama, K., Wakisako, H., Yano, K., Higashijima, K. and Murakami, S., “Development of the Fully-Automatic Live-Line Maintenance Robot-Phase III,” Proceedings of the 4th IEEE International Symposium on Assembly and Task Planning, Japan (2001) pp. 423428.Google Scholar
5.Barrientos, A., del Cerro, J., Campoy, P. and García, P., “An Autonomous Helicopter Guided by Computer Vision for Inspection of Overhead Power Cable,” Workshop on Aerial Robotics, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS '02), Lausanne, Switzerland (Sep. 30–Oct. 4, 2002) pp. 4354.Google Scholar
6.Jones, D.I., “Aerial inspection of overhead power lines using video: Estimation of image blurring due to vehicle and camera motion,” Vis. Image Signal Process., IEE Proc. 147 (2), 157166 (2000).Google Scholar
7.Ferre, M., Aracil, R. and Bogado, J. M., “Improving Force Feedback Perception Using Low Bandwidth Teleoperation Devices,” Proceedings of EuroHaptics 2004, Munich, Germany (June 5–7, 2004) pp. 504507.Google Scholar
8.Ferre, M., Macias-Guarasa, J., Aracil, R. and Barrientos, A., “Voice Command Generation for Teleoperated Robots,” Proceedings of the IEEE ROMAN'98. 7th International Workshop on Robot and Human Communication, Japan (Sep. 30–Oct. 2, 1998) pp. 679685.Google Scholar
9.Ferre, M. and Aracil, R., “Intefaces for Telerobotics Studies on Stereoscopic Vision,” Proceedings of the XV IFAC World Congress on Automatic Control, Barcelona, Spain (Jul. 21–26, 2002) pp. 10221028.Google Scholar
10.Almonacid, M., Saltarén, R. J., Aracil, R. and Reinoso, O., “Motion planning of a climbing parallel robot,” IEEE Trans. Robot. Autom. 19 (3), 485489 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Stewart, D., “A platform with six-degree of freedom,” IME Proc. 180 (15) Part I, 371386 (1966).Google Scholar
12.Gough, V. E., “Contribution to discussion to papers on research in automobile stability and control in tyre performance by Cornell staff,” Proc. AutoDiv. Inst. Mech. Eng. 171:392395 (1956).Google Scholar
13.Gosselin, C., Cloutier, C. and Rancourt, D., “Kinematic Analysis of Spherical two Degree-of-Freedom Parallel Manipulators,” Proceedings of the ASME 23rd Biennial Mechanisms Conference, Minneapolis, MN (Sep. 11–14, 1994) pp. 255262.Google Scholar
14.Gosselin, C. and Merlet, J.-P., “On the direct kinematics of planar parallel manipulators: Special architectures and number of solutions,” Mech. Mach. Theory 29 (8), 10831097 (1994).Google Scholar
15.Tsai, L. and Joshi, S. A., “Kinematics and optimization of a spatial 3-UPU parallel manipulator,” J. Mech. Des. 112 (4), 439446 (2000).Google Scholar
16.Zhang, C.-D. and Song, S.-M., “Forward position analysis of nearly general Stewart platform,” ASME J. Mech. Des. 116 (1), 5460 (1994).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.Hongrui, W.. “Trajectory Control of Parallel Robot Based on Predictive Control Theory,”. Proceedings of the 2nd Asian Conference on Robotics and Its Application, Beijing, China (Oct. 1994) pp. 455459.Google Scholar
18.Zhang, M. D. and Song, S. M., “Study of Three-Degree-of-Freedom Parallel Platforms for Reactional Compensation,” Proceedings of ISRAM, the Fifth International Symposium on Robotics and Manufacturing, Maui, Hawaï (Aug. 14–18, 1994) pp. 373378.Google Scholar
19.Lazard, D. and Merlet, J. P., “The (True) Stewart Platform Has 12 Configurations”, Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, San Diego, CA, USA (May 1994) pp. 21602165.Google Scholar
20.Mourrain, B., “The 40 Generic Positions of a Parallel Robot,” Proceedings of the International Symposium on Symbolic and Algebraic Computation (ISSAC'93), Kiev, Ukraine (July 6–8, 1993) (ACM press, New York) pp. 173182.Google Scholar
21.Wampler, C. W., Hollerbach, J. M. and Arai, T., “An implicit loop method for kinematic calibration and its application to closed-chain mechanisms,” IEEE Trans. Robot. Autom. 11 (5), 710724 (1995).Google Scholar
22.Almonacid, M., Agrawal, S. K., Aracil, R. and Saltaren, R.. “Multi-Body Dynamic Analysis of a 6-DOF Parallel Robot,” Proceedings of the ASME International Symposium on Advances in Robot Dynamics and Control (Aug. 2001) vol. 1, pp. 359364.Google Scholar
23.Cole, R. E. and Parker, D. L., “Stereo TV improves manipulator performance,” Proc. SPIE, 3D Visualis. Disp. Technol. 1083, 255265 (1990).Google Scholar
24.Reinhart, W. F., Beaton, R. J. and Soyder, H. L., “Comparison of depth cues for relative depth judgments,” Proc. SPIE, Stereos. Disp. Virtual Real. Syst. 3639, 1221 (1990).Google Scholar
25.Ferre, M., Aracil, R., Navas, M. and Escalera, J. A.. “Real Time Video Image Processing for Teleoperation: Image Blending and Stereoscopy,” 9th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA '03), Lisbon, Portugal (Sep. 16–19, 2003) pp. 539544.Google Scholar
26.Kim, D. and Cheng, W., “Analytic singularity equation and analysis of six-DOF parallel manipulators using local structurization method,” IEEE Trans. Robot. Autom. 15 (4), 612622 (1999).Google Scholar
27.Zlatanov, D., Fenton, R. G. and Benhabib, B., “Identification and classification of the singular configuration of mechanism,” Mech. Matc. Theory 33 (6), 743760 (1998).Google Scholar
28.Simaan, N. and Shoham, M.. “Singularity analysis of a class of composite serial in-parallel robots,” IEEE Trans. Robot. Autom. 17 (3), 301311 (2001).Google Scholar
29.Sabater, J. M., Saltaren, R., Yimi, E., Aracil, R. and Azorin, J. M., “Teleoperated parallel climbing robot in nuclear instalations,” Ind. Robot. Annu. Int. J. 33 (5), 381386 (2006).Google Scholar
30.Fu, K. S., Gonzales, R. C. and Lee, C. S. G., Robotics. Control, Sensing Vision and Intelligence (McGraw-Hill, Columbus, OH, 1987) ISBN 978-0070226258.Google Scholar
31.Alvarez, C., Saltaren, R., Aracil, R. and Garcia, C., “Concepción, desarrollo y avances en el control de navegación de robots submarinos paralelos: El robot REMO-I,” RIAI. 6 (3), 92100 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar