Switching control of underactuated multi-channel systems with input constraints for cooperative manipulation

2025-11-27

AI Summary

To address degraded controllability, inefficient channel resource allocation, and insufficient real-time performance of nonlinear underactuated multi-channel systems under input constraints in cooperative manipulation, this paper proposes an event-triggered switching control framework. The method integrates dynamic channel allocation with stabilization control: optimal channel scheduling is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program, while local controllers—designed via quadratic programming and activated by an event-triggering mechanism—ensure real-time responsiveness and robustness under input constraints. Semi-global exponential stability of the closed-loop system is rigorously established. Extensive simulations—including 2D/3D free-floating systems and multi-robot non-grasping pushing tasks—demonstrate that the proposed approach significantly enhances controllability and adaptability of underactuated systems.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Manipulation
• Multiagent Systems: Multiagent Systems under Uncertainty
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Mixed Discrete/Continuous Planning

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Incentives in network design for Web infrastructures and ecosystems

Abstract

This work presents an event-triggered switching control framework for a class of nonlinear underactuated multi-channel systems with input constraints. These systems are inspired by cooperative manipulation tasks involving underactuation, where multiple underactuated agents collaboratively push or pull an object to a target pose. Unlike existing approaches for multi-channel systems, our method addresses underactuation and the potential loss of controllability by additionally addressing channel assignment of agents. To simultaneously account for channel assignment, input constraints, and stabilization, we formulate the control problem as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming and derive sufficient conditions for its feasibility. To improve real-time computation efficiency, we introduce an event-triggered control scheme that maintains stability even between switching events through a quadratic programming-based stabilizing controller. We theoretically establish the semi-global exponential stability of the proposed method and the asymptotic stability of its extension to nonprehensile cooperative manipulation under noninstantaneous switching. The proposed framework is further validated through numerical simulations on 2D and 3D free-flyer systems and multi-robot nonprehensile pushing tasks.

Problem

• Designs event-triggered switching control for underactuated multi-channel systems
• Addresses channel assignment, input constraints, and stabilization simultaneously
• Ensures stability in cooperative manipulation tasks with noninstantaneous switching

Innovation

• Event-triggered switching control for underactuated multi-channel systems
• Mixed Integer Linear Programming for channel assignment and constraints
• Quadratic programming-based stabilizing controller for real-time efficiency