Hybrid Vision/Force Cascaded Model Predictive Control of Robotic Manipulators for Automatic Docking Tasks

This article presents a hybrid vision/force cascaded model predictive control method for robotic manipulators utilized in automatic docking tasks. This control method consists of force predictive control (FPC) cascaded with visual predictive control (VPC). First, an FPC algorithm with integrated visual admittance control is designed to achieve rapid convergence of the contact force at the end of the manipulator. Second, it integrates two modes of perception are vision and force, and hierarchically controls them to enhance the manipulator’s high-precision control and perception capabilities during the docking tasks. Third, it incorporates the system’s relevant constraints into the control process to ensure the safety and stability of the docking tasks. The static and dynamic docking experiments have been completed on the appropriate physical experimental platform, and the experimental results confirm the effectiveness, accuracy, and robustness of the control algorithm.