Trajectory tracking in robot manipulators via nonlinear estimated state feedback

High-precision measurements of joint displacements are available on robot manipulators. In contrast, velocity measurements obtained through tachometers are, in many cases, contaminated by noise. It is therefore economically and technically interesting to investigate the possibility of controlling robot dynamics by only using angular position measurements. Two alternative approaches for trajectory tracking control via nonlinear estimated state feedback are presented. The first scheme is based on smooth functions, whereas the second uses switching gains. The stability of the closed-loop system is investigated. Both approaches yield exponentially stable closed-loop systems. The local attraction areas are characterized in terms of controller and observer gains, initial state values, and robot model parameters.>