To overcome the difficulty in tracking the trajectory of an inspection robot inside a transformer, this paper proposes a distributed model predictive control method. First, the kinematics and dynamics models of a robot in transformer oil are established based on the Lagrange equation. Then, by using the nonlinear model predictive control method and following the distributed control theory, the motion of a robot in transformer oil is decoupled into five independent subsystems. Based on this, a distributed model predictive control (DMPC) method is then developed. Finally, the simulation results indicate that a robot motion control system based on DMPC achieves high tracking accuracy and robustness with reduced computing complexity, and it provides an effective solution for the motion control of robots in narrow environments.
Keywords: distributed model predictive control; trajectory tracking control; underwater robot.