Trajectory Tracking Control for Uncertain Robot Manipulators with Repetitive Motions in Task Space

This paper aims at the trajectory tracking problem of robot manipulators performing repetitive tasks in task space. Two control schemes are presented to conduct trajectory tracking tasks under uncertain conditions including unmodeled dynamics of robot and additional disturbances. The first controller, pure adaptive iterative learning control (AILC), is based upon the use of a proportional-derivative-like (PD-like) feedback structure, and its design seems very simple in the sense that the only requirement on the learning gain and control parameters is the positive definiteness condition. The second controller is designed with a combination of AILC and neural networks (NNs) where the AILC is adopted to learn the periodic uncertainties that attribute to the repetitive motion of robot manipulators while the add-on NNs are used to approximate and compensate all nonperiodic ones. Moreover, a combined error factor (CEF), which is composed of the weighted sum of tracking error and its derivative, is designed for network updating law to improve the learning speed as well as tracking accuracy of the system. Stabilities of the controllers and convergence are proved rigorously by a Lyapunov-like composite energy function. The simulations performed on two-link manipulator are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed controllers. The results of compared simulations illustrate that our proposed control schemes can significantly conduct trajectory tracking tasks.