Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The high complexity, nonlinearity, and wide applications of robotic systems have led to extensive research in the field of robot control. Many control methods have been developed with the goal of achieving high contour tracking and reliable performances. In the applicant's recent research, the concept of position domain control was introduced in a simple form of PD/PID control laws for robotic systems to improve contour tracking performance as a superior alternative to time domain control. To build the position domain control system, a multi-axis robotic system is viewed as a masterslave motion system. The master motion is measured and used as a reference that will not produce any error to the final contour error, and the slave motions are described as functions of the master motion according to the contour trajectory requirements. Slave motion control is implemented in position domain based on the master motion. Theoretical research and systematic development of position domain control systems are necessary in order to promote the new position domain control and its applications in manufacturing industry. This research aims to develop position domain control theory, methods, and applications for contour tracking in manufacturing processes as an alternative that has superior performance than the time domain counterparts.The long-term goal of this research program is to make position domain control as a core control technology for contour tracking of robotic systems and to improve product quality in manufacturing processes. The research program aims at developing a general position domain control theory that can integrate the traditional time domain control theory, providing alternative but superior control systems for contour tracking applications, and exploring its applications for hybrid robotic systems. This research will develop the following enabling technologies to make position domain control a reality and potential applications in manufacturing processes: (1) Theoretical study of position domain control to build a united system architecture that can integrate position domain control and time domain control. (2) Development of advanced position domain control systems to expand the control methods developed in time domain to position domain. (3) Testing, verification, and application of the position domain control system in hybrid macro-micro motion systems and hybrid actuation systems.The applicant has a proven research record, a capable and motivated team to succeed in the proposed research program. This program will build an excellent environment for training 2 PhD students and 2 master's students to equip them with multi-disciplinary knowledge and cutting-edge research techniques. Results of this research can lead to the real application of contour tracking control for performance improvement, and advance the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector in Canada.