Motion Control Algorithms for Simple Mechanical Systems with Symmetry

We treat underactuated mechanical control systems with symmetry, taking the viewpoint of the affine connection formalism. We first review the appropriate notions and tests of controllability associated with these systems, including that of fiber controllability. Secondly, we present a series expansion describing the evolution of the trajectories of general mechanical control systems starting from nonzero velocity. This series is then used to investigate the behavior of the system under small-amplitude periodic forcing. On this basis, motion control algorithms are designed for systems with symmetry to solve the tasks of point-to-point reconfiguration, static interpolation and stabilization problems. Several examples are given and the performance of the algorithms is illustrated in the blimp system.     

受单面约束的非完整力学系统的运动方程

给出同时受有单面完整约束和单面非完整约束的非完整力学系统的运动方程,并举例说明其应用     

约束力学系统的联络及其运动方程的测地性质

用现代整体微分几何方法研究非定常约束力学系统运动方程的测地性质，得到非定常力学系统的动力学流关于１＿射丛上的联络具有测地性质的充分必要条件·非定常情形下的动力学流关于无挠率的联络总具有测地性质，因此任何非定常约束力学系统在外力作用下的运动总可以表示为关于１＿射丛上无挠率的动力学联络的测地运动，这与定常力学的情形有所区别·     

A Framework for Monitoring Progress and Planning Teaching Towards the Effective Use of Computer Algebra Systems

This article suggests a framework to organise a cluster of variables that are associated with students' effective use of computer algebra systems (CAS) in mathematics learning. Based on a review of the literature and from the authors' own teaching experience, the framework identifies the main characteristics of students' interactions with CAS technology and how these may be used to monitor students' developing use of CAS; from this, the framework may be used to plan teaching in order to gain greater benefit from the availability of CAS. Four case studies describing students' development over a semester are reported. These demonstrate a variety of combinations of technical competencies and personal attributes. They indicate the importance of both the technical and personal aspects but suggest that negative attitudes rather than technical difficulties can limit the effective use of CAS. Finally practical suggestions are given for teaching strategies which may promote effective use of CAS.This revised version was published online in September 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Motion Planning for Multiple Robots

We study the motion-planning problem for pairs and triples of robots operating in a shared workspace containing n obstacles. A standard way to solve such problems is to view the collection of robots as one composite robot, whose number of degrees of freedom is d , the sum of the numbers of degrees of freedom of the individual robots. We show that it is sufficient to consider a constant number of robot systems whose number of degrees of freedom is at most d-1 for pairs of robots, and d-2 for triples. (The result for a pair assumes that the sum of the number of degrees of freedom of the robots constituting the pair reduces by at least one if the robots are required to stay in contact; for triples a similar assumption is made. Moreover, for triples we need to assume that a solution with positive clearance exists.) We use this to obtain an O(n ^d ) time algorithm to solve the motion-planning problem for a pair of robots; this is one order of magnitude faster than what the standard method would give. For a triple of robots the running time becomes O(n ^d-1 ) , which is two orders of magnitude faster than the standard method. We also apply our method to the case of a collection of bounded-reach robots moving in a low-density environment. Here the running time of our algorithm becomes O(n log n) both for pairs and triples. Received August 10, 1998, and in revised form February 17, 1999.     

非线性系统运动稳定性的一种判据

对于自治的非线性系统来说,只要其线性部分系数矩阵的特征值不属于临界情形,其无扰运动在其足够小的邻域内的稳定性完全可以由其线性部分的特征值确定.关于线性系统的稳定性,已有不少简单易行的判别方法,而关于非线性系统的稳定性,很多数学家和力学家作了大量的研究工作;但大都是针对特殊类型的非线性系统解决了一些问题,直到现在为止,还没有普遍适用于任何的非线性系统的简单易行的判别方法.本文所给的是判别非线性系统稳定性的充要条件,常用的克拉索夫斯基方法只是这一方法的一个特例[1],[2].     

A Bivariate Model for Markov Manpower Planning Systems

Markov models are being extensively used for analysis of manpower planning systems. Most of these models concentrate either on estimating the gradewise distribution of future manpower structure, given the existing structure and promotion policies, or on deriving policies towards promotion, given the required future structure. However, in many large organizations, agreements between employee unions and management result in the framing of policies towards promotion based either on seniority (length of service in the grade) or on performance (as in the case of ‘high fliers’). In this paper these two criteria are considered in a bivariate distribution framework. The transition probabilities for promotion obtained from the Markov model are further translated into required seniority and performance rating. The procedure is illustrated through an example.     

对称正定Toeplitz型方程组的混合预处理

本文提出一个新的预条件子,用共轭梯度法求解对称正定的Teoplitz型线性方程组.该预处理子构造简单,易于实施快速傅里叶变换.理论和数值实验显示,我们的预处理子与T.Chan预处理子收敛性相近.     

双荷子系统运动的经典解

根据力学理论和经典电磁理论研究双荷子系统的运动.列出双荷子系统的运动微分方程,导出运动积分,说明系统的对称性,包括SO(4)对称性;利用变分法逆问题方法,构造双荷子系统的Lagrange(拉格朗日)函数和Hamilton(哈密顿)函数;解出双荷子系统的运动规律.     

Motion Planning of Robot Locomotion

Since the treatment of robot locomotion is quite closed with this one of human locomotion, the present paper treats the problems of modelling, simulation and motion planning of robot locomotion on the base of knowledge of the skeletal system, as well as on the base of multibody system modelling, simulation and control using some ideas from Lie group theory and differential geometry.     

Motion Planning in Environments with Low Obstacle Density

We present a simple and efficient paradigm for computing the exact solution of the motion planning problem in environments with a low obstacle density. Such environments frequently occur in practical instances of the motion planning problem. The complexity of the free space for such environments is known to be linear in the number of obstacles. Our paradigm is a new cell decomposition approach to motion planning and exploits properties that follow from the low density of the obstacles in the robot's workspace. These properties allow us to decompose the workspace, subject to some constraints, rather than to decompose the higher-dimensional free configuration space directly. A sequence of uniform steps transforms the workspace decomposition into a free space decomposition of asymptotically the same size. The approach leads to nearly optimal O(n \log n) motion planning algorithms for free-flying robots with any fixed number of degrees of freedom in workspaces with low obstacle density. Received October 17, 1995, and in revised form July 8, 1997, and February 23, 1998.     

Topological Complexity of Motion Planning

Abstract. In this paper we study a notion of topological complexity TC (X) for the motion planning problem. TC (X) is a number which measures discontinuity of the process of motion planning in the configuration space X . More precisely, TC (X) is the minimal number k such that there are k different "motion planning rules," each defined on an open subset of X× X , so that each rule is continuous in the source and target configurations. We use methods of algebraic topology (the Lusternik—Schnirelman theory) to study the topological complexity TC (X) . We give an upper bound for TC (X) (in terms of the dimension of the configuration space X ) and also a lower bound (in terms of the structure of the cohomology algebra of X ). We explicitly compute the topological complexity of motion planning for a number of configuration spaces: spheres, two-dimensional surfaces, products of spheres. In particular, we completely calculate the topological complexity of the problem of motion planning for a robot arm in the absence of obstacles.     

Topological Complexity of Motion Planning

   Abstract. In this paper we study a notion of topological complexity TC (X) for the motion planning problem. TC (X) is a number which measures discontinuity of the process of motion planning in the configuration space X . More precisely, TC (X) is the minimal number k such that there are k different "motion planning rules," each defined on an open subset of X× X , so that each rule is continuous in the source and target configurations. We use methods of algebraic topology (the Lusternik—Schnirelman theory) to study the topological complexity TC (X) . We give an upper bound for TC (X) (in terms of the dimension of the configuration space X ) and also a lower bound (in terms of the structure of the cohomology algebra of X ). We explicitly compute the topological complexity of motion planning for a number of configuration spaces: spheres, two-dimensional surfaces, products of spheres. In particular, we completely calculate the topological complexity of the problem of motion planning for a robot arm in the absence of obstacles.     

Integrators for Nonholonomic Mechanical Systems

We study a discrete analog of the Lagrange-d'Alembert principle of nonhonolomic mechanics and give conditions for it to define a map and to be reversible. In specific cases it can generate linearly implicit, semi-implicit, or implicit numerical integrators for nonholonomic systems which, in several examples, exhibit superior preservation of the dynamics. We also study discrete nonholonomic systems on Lie groups and their reduction theory, and explore the properties of the exact discrete flow of a nonholonomic system.     

A Time‐Stepping Algorithm for Stiff Mechanical Systems with Unilateral Constraints

This paper presents a stable implicit first order time‐stepping method for the simulation of stiff mechanical systems with unilateral constraints and Coulomb friction. It ensures that the unilateral constraints are fulfilled directly on the displacement level. The resulting linear complementarity problem is formulated in a very compact nonstandard way. A modified form of Lemke's algorithm is presented to solve it.     

A Model for Determining Tactical Parameters for Materials Requirements Planning Systems

This paper develops an approximate model for simultaneously determining reorder intervals and planned lead times for MRP systems. Unlike previous research, this model explicitly considers commonality, non-instantaneous production, multiple work centres (with multiple machines and with limited capacity), and queue inventory carrying cost. Four heuristic solution procedures for the non-linear integer optimization problem are proposed and compared with an exact branch-and-bound algorithm on a set of forty test problems. The results suggest that two of the heuristics are both effective and efficient.     

Energy-Optimal Multi-Goal Motion Planning for Planar Robot Manipulators

In this work, the energy-optimal motion planning problem for planar robot manipulators with two revolute joints is studied, in which the end-effector of the robot manipulator is constrained to pass through a set of waypoints, whose sequence is not predefined. This multi-goal motion planning problem has been solved as a mixed-integer optimal control problem in which, given the dynamic model of the robot manipulator, the initial and final configurations of the robot, and a set of waypoints inside the workspace of the manipulator, one has to find the control inputs, the sequence of waypoints with the corresponding passage times, and the resulting trajectory of the robot that minimizes the energy consumption during the motion. The presence of the waypoint constraints makes this optimal control problem particularly difficult to solve. The mixed-integer optimal control problem has been converted into a mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem first making the unknown passage times through the waypoints part of the state, then introducing binary variables to enforce the constraint of passing once through each waypoint, and finally applying a fifth-degree Gauss–Lobatto direct collocation method to tackle the dynamic constraints. High-degree interpolation polynomials allow the number of variables of the problem to be reduced for a given numerical precision. The resulting mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem has been solved using a nonlinear programming-based branch-and-bound algorithm specifically tailored to the problem. The results of the numerical experiments have shown the effectiveness of the approach.