Zhengjie Gao

Bio: Zhengjie Gao is an academic researcher from Yanshan University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Impedance control & Legged robot. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 14 publications receiving 75 citations.

An improved force-based impedance control method for the HDU of legged robots

Abstract: Hydraulic drive mode enables legged robots to have excellent characteristics, such as greater power-to-weight ratios, higher load capacities, and faster response speeds than other robots. Nowadays, highly integrated valve-controlled cylinder, called hydraulic drive unit (HDU), is employed to drive the joints of these robots. However, various robot control issues exist. For example, during the walking process of legged robots, different obstacles are encountered, making it difficult to control such robots because the load characteristics of the ends of their feet change with the environment. Furthermore, although the adoption of HDU has resulted in high-performance robot control, the hydraulic systems of these robots still have problems, such as strong nonlinearity, and time-varying parameters. Consequently, robot control is very difficult and complex. This paper proposes an improved second-order dynamic compliance control system, impedance control, for HDU. The control system is designed to rectify the issues affecting the impedance control accuracy of the dynamic compliance serial-parallel composition between the HDU force control inner loop and the impedance control outer loop. Specifically, it consists of a compliance-enhanced controller and a feedforward compensation controller for the force control inner loop. Furthermore, the dynamic compliance composition of the inner and outer HDU control loops is rearranged. The results of experiments conducted indicate that the proposed method significantly improves the control accuracy compared to that of traditional force-based impedance control.

Parameters Sensitivity Analysis of Position-Based Impedance Control for Bionic Legged Robots’ HDU

Abstract: For the hydraulic drive unit (HDU) on the joints of bionic legged robots, this paper proposes the position-based impedance control method. Then, the impedance control performance is tested by a HDU performance test platform. Further, the method of first-order sensitivity matrix is proposed to analyze the dynamic sensitivity of four main control parameters under four working conditions. To research the parameter sensitivity quantificationally, two sensitivity indexes are defined, and the sensitivity analysis results are verified by experiments. The results of the experiments show that, when combined with corresponding optimization strategies, the dynamic compliance composition theory and the results from sensitivity analysis can compensate for the control parameters and optimize the control performance in different working conditions.

An Improved DDPG and Its Application Based on the Double-Layer BP Neural Network

Abstract: This paper focused on three application problems of the traditional Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient(DDPG) algorithm. That is, the agent exploration is insufficient, the neural network performance is unsatisfied, the agent output fluctuates greatly. In terms of agent exploration strategy, network training algorithm and overall algorithm implementation, an improved DDPG method based on double-layer BP neural network is proposed. This method introduces fuzzy algorithm and BFGS algorithm based on Armijo-Goldstein criterion, improves the exploration efficiency, learning efficiency and convergence of BP neural network, increases the number of layers of BP neural network to improve the fitting ability of the network, and adopts periodic update to ensure the stable operation of the algorithm. The experimental results show that the deep learning network based on the improved DDPG algorithm has greatly improved the performance compared with the traditional method after multiple rounds of self-learning under variable working conditions. This study lays a theoretical and experimental foundation for the extended application of deep learning algorithm.

The position-based impedance control combined with compliance-eliminated and feedforward compensation for HDU of legged robot

Abstract: In this paper, the hydraulic drive unit (HDU) driving the joint motion of the legged robot is the research object. Through the experiment on HDU, it is observed that the control accuracy of the traditional position-based impedance control is not high enough. The further analysis researches the serial-parallel composition on dynamic compliances from both position control inner and impedance outer loop. Then, the two reasons affecting control accuracy are found out. Therefore, aimed at the first reason, a compliance-eliminated controller with multiple serial branches is designed. Aimed at the second reason, a feedforward compensation controller is designed. Finally, the dynamic compliance composition is rearranged. The results of experiments conducted indicate that the proposed method significantly improves the control accuracy compared to that of traditional position-based impedance control.

A Novel Position-Based Impedance Control Method for Bionic Legged Robots’ HDU

Abstract: In this paper, a novel impedance control method is designed for the hydraulic drive unit (HDU) equipped on the hydraulic driven legged robot First, the position control mathematical model of HDU is built Next, the HDU performance test platform is introduced and the performance requirements are given Second, the system load pressure observer is designed and an accurate stiffness control method is proposed by combining the external load force feed forward control with the load force feedback control Third, the damping control method based on the velocity feedback is designed Finally, a novel impedance control method is proposed through combining the stiffness control and the damping control The effects of all techniques listed above have been verified experimentally Especially, the impedance control effects are verified by comparing the impedance characteristics with the natural characteristics of the second-order mass-spring-damper system This research indicates that the system characteristics of HDU with the novel impedance control method is well equivalent to that of the second-order mass-spring-damper system, which can solve the stall problem of the robot joint movement process caused by the load force vanish instantaneously and the switch between position control and force control The above research can provide references for the active compliance control of bionic legged robots

Control strategy of stable walking for a hexapod wheel-legged robot.

Abstract: This paper provides a legged stable walking control strategy based on multi-sensor information feedback about BIT-NAZA-II, a large load parallel hexapod wheel-legged robot developing for the problem of vertical contact impact and horizontal sliding of heavy leg robot in complex terrain environments. The BIT-NAZA-II robot has six legs and six wheels, and the wheels are installed on the foot-end. The wheels of each foot-end for the legs of the robot are locked when walking with legs. In order to realize the smooth transition between swing phase and stance phase, the leg motion is divided into different stages for control by state machine switching controller based on event (SMSCE). In the Z-direction, in order to avoid the shaking of the body caused by the contact impact at the moment of contact between the foot-end and the ground during the walking of the robot, an active compliance controller (ACC) based on impedance control (IC) is applied to solve the problem of contact impact. Moreover, in the X-direction, the swing leg retraction (SLR) based on Bezier curve (BC) is introduced to generate the foot-end trajectory of the robot, which solves the slip problem of the heavy leg robot and improves the horizontal stability. Finally, the control strategy of stable walking is respectively verified by the simulations and experiments. The results show that the ACC based on IC can effectively reduce the contact impact between the foot-end and the ground in the Z-direction and improve the stability of body. Besides, the anti-sliding ability is realized after introducing SLR based on BC in the X-direction, and we also verify that stable walking control strategy is effective, which provides a reference value for the stable walking of heavy leg robot in complex terrain.

Optimized PID Controller Based on Beetle Antennae Search Algorithm for Electro-Hydraulic Position Servo Control System.

Abstract: To improve the controllability of an electro-hydraulic position servo control system while simultaneously enhancing the anti-jamming ability of a PID controller, a compound PID controller that combines the beetle antennae search algorithm with PID strategy was proposed, and used to drive the position servo control system of the electro-hydraulic servo system. A BAS-PID controller was designed, and the beetle antennae search algorithm was used to tune PID parameters so that the disturbance signal of the system was effectively restrained. Initially, the basic mathematical model of the electro-hydraulic position servo control system was established through theoretical analysis. The transfer function model was obtained by identifying system parameters. Then, the PID parameter-tuning problem was converted into a class of three-dimensional parameter optimization problem, and gains of PID controllers were adjusted using the beetle antennae search algorithm. Finally, by comparing the effectiveness of different algorithms, simulation and experimental results revealed that the BAS-PID controller can greatly enhance the performance of the electro-hydraulic position servo control system and inhibit external disturbances when different interference signals are used to test the system’s robustness.

A Nonlinear Model-based Variable Impedance Parameters Control for Position-based Impedance Control System of Hydraulic Drive Unit

Abstract: In this paper, aimed at the problem of control accuracy when the traditional position-based impedance control is applied in the hydraulic drive unit (HDU) of legged robot, a kind of nonlinear model-based variable impedance parameters controller (MVIPC) is designed. First, the mathematical model of position-based impedance control for HDU is given. Second, the performance of traditional position-based impedance control is tested on the HDU performance test platform under different working conditions, and the experimental results show that the control accuracy of this control method needs to be improved greatly. Thirdly, the control idea of MVIPC is described, and the theoretical derivation is deduced. MVIPC considers the high-order dynamic characteristics of servo valve, pressure-flow nonlinearity of servo valve, oil compressibility and load characteristics. Finally, the control performance of MVIPC is verified on the HDU performance test platform. The experimental results show that MVIPC can significantly improve the performance of traditional position-based impedance control, and have an excellent adaptability under different working conditions. This research can provide an underlying control method of hydraulic systems during the robot locomotion.

Flexible Motion Framework of the Six Wheel-Legged Robot: Experimental Results

Abstract: In complex real-world scenarios, wheel-legged robots with maneuverability, stability, and reliability have addressed growing research attention, especially in material transportation, emergency rescue, as well as the exploration of unknown environments. How to achieve stable high-level movement with payload delivery simultaneously is the main challenge for the wheel-legged robot. In this article, a novel hierarchical framework for the flexible motion of the six wheel-legged robot is considered in experimental results. First, for the wheeled motion, the speed consensus algorithm is implemented to the six-wheeled cooperative control; for the legged motion, three gait sequences, and foot-end trajectory based on the Bezier function are designed. Furthermore, a whole-body control architecture includes the attitude controller, impedance controller, and center height controller is developed for obstacle avoidance, which can ensure the horizontal stability of the body of the robot when it passes through obstacles in different terrain. Finally, extensive experimental demonstrations using the six wheel-legged robot (BIT-6NAZA) are dedicated to the effectiveness and robustness of the developed framework, indicating that it is a superior case of a selectable flexible motion with satisfactory stable performance under the field world environment.

Review and Development Trend of Digital Hydraulic Technology

Abstract: Since the emergence of digital hydraulic technology, it has achieved good results in intelligence, integration, energy saving, etc. After decades of development, and it has also attracted wide attention in the industry. However, for many years, the definition of digital hydraulic technology has differed between researchers, and there is no uniform definition. Such a situation affects the development of it to a certain extent. Therefore, this paper gives the exact definition of digital hydraulic technology based on a large number of researches on it. At the same time, the paper analyzes the research status and developmental process of the such a technology, and we forecast the development trend of it.