A practical load detection framework considering uncertainty in hydraulic pressure-based force measurement for construction manipulator

This paper proposes a practical framework for detecting (identifying the on-off state of) the external force applied to a construction manipulator (front load) by using a hydraulic sensor. Such a detection system requires high accuracy and robustness considering the uncertainty in pressure-based force measurement. Our framework is thus organized into (i) identifying the dominant error force component (self-weight and driving force) using theoretical and experimental estimation and binarizing the analog external cylinder force, (ii) evaluating detection conditions to address indeterminate conditions such as stroke-end, singular posture, and impulsive or oscillatory force and redefining three-valued outputs such as on, off, or not determinate (ND), and (iii) outputting the front load decision by combining all the cylinder decisions to improve robustness through priority analysis. Experiments were conducted using an instrumented hydraulic arm. Results indicate that our framework adequately detects on, off, and ND outputs of the front load in various detection conditions without misidentification.