Study on the Mobile Robot Which Can Shift from One Horizontal Bar to Another by Using Excitation of Vibration

Abstract

The double pendulum type mobile robot which can shift from one horizontal bar to an adjacent bar has been studied. The robot is composed of pivoted double link arms with grippers installed on the free ends of the arms. The bars lie horizontally at regular intervals. Initially, the first arm of the robot grasps one of the bars with its gripper, and the second arm is hanging from the upper pivoted end. When the latter is swung by an actuator following the prescribed control path, vibratory excitation is induced on the whole system of the robot. Due to the excitation, the gripper end of the second arm is swung up through a large angle to approach to the neighboring bar. The gripper grasps that bar and the first arm's gripper releases the initial bar. Thus the robot moves laterally by one pitch of the bars, and it can shift continuously through the bar by repeating the sequence. Computer simulation and experiment were carried out on the robot by utilizing the control path and the optimal excitation condition derived from preparatory simulation. It is confirmed by experiment as well as by computer simulation that the robot can shift through the horizontal bar array by using the excitation of the system and the concept of the control path proposed here is very useful.