A New Composite Control Strategy for an Astronaut Virtual Operation Training System Based on Cable-Driven Technology

Abstract

In recent years, virtual microgravity training technology for astronauts based on cable-driven designs has emerged, and it solves the following problems: high costs, short training times, and low safety of existing equipment. However, this technology does not solve the reduced motion accuracy problem of the operated object due to the elastic deformation of cables, and this problem will reduce the operational experience of astronauts during training. In view of this problem, a cable-driven virtual operation training system for astronauts is designed, and a new composite control strategy based on parallel cables is proposed, which effectively improves motion control accuracy by allocating cable tension and using a tension compliance control method to suppress the influence of cable deformation. In addition, the desired tension of cables is optimized based on the system’s workspace so that the system can achieve more complex virtual microgravity training tasks. Finally, verification via experiments demonstrated that the training system and the new composite control strategy are effective.