Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Cluster Control Of A Multi-Robot Tracking Network And Tracking Geometry Optimization, Jasmine Cashbaugh

Engineering Ph.D. Theses

The position of a moving object can be tracked in numerous ways, the simplest of which is to use a single static sensor. However, the information from a single sensor cannot be verified and may not be reliable without performing multiple measurements of the same object. When multiple static sensors are used, each sensor need only take a single measurement which can be combined with other sensor measurements to produce a more accurate position estimate. Work has been done to develop sensors that move with the tracked object, such as relative positioning, but this research takes this concept one step …

A Framework For Collaborative Multi-Task, Multi-Robot Missions, John T. Shepard

Engineering Ph.D. Theses

Robotics is a transformative technology that will empower our civilization for a new scale of human endeavors. Massive scale is only possible through the collaboration of individual or groups of robots. Collaboration allows specialization, meaning a multirobot system may accommodate heterogeneous platforms including human partners.

This work develops a unified control architecture for collaborative missions comprised of multiple, multi-robot tasks. Using kinematic equations and Jacobian matrices, the system states are transformed into alternative control spaces which are more useful for the designer or more convenient for the operator. The architecture allows multiple tasks to be combined, composing tightly coordinated missions. …

Fuzzy Control Of Flexible Multibody Spacecraft: A Linear Matrix Inequality Approach, Chokri Sendi

Engineering Ph.D. Theses

To reduce the cost of lifting to orbit, modern spacecraft and structures used in space applications are designed from light material as flexible multibody system. Moreover The unprecedented requirements for rapid retargeting, precision pointing and tracking capability have made these multibody highly flexible spacecraft vulnerable to dynamic excitation caused by the slewing/pointing maneuver, vibration and external disturbances. As a result, this will degrade the performance of the spacecraft including the pointing accuracy. Thus the aspect of modeling and control become extremely important for the safe and effective operation. Despite the numerous research, the development of high performance, nonlinear control laws …