Digital elevation map reconstruction for port-based dynamic simulation of contacts on irregular surfaces

Abstract

Abstract-This paper presents a method to utilize a portbased multibody contact model for simulating dynamic interaction between irregular surfaces. The existing compliant contact model requires an analytic parametrization of the surfaces involved in the interaction, the definition of a Gauss frame in each of the contact points and initialization of the candidate contact points. The authors intend to apply this contact model for cases in which the surfaces of the 3D interacting bodies can not be described (easily) by a geometrically defined surface. Such surfaces are often represented by 3D point meshes. This implies that the surfaces of the bodies have to be reconstructed from 3D point meshes where initialization of the candidate contact points is not arbitrary.This paper proposes the reconstruction of such surfaces by means of polynomial interpolation. With the aim of having a computationally efficient simulator, the surface interpolation is restricted to small patches around the candidate contact points. To select these candidates, the proposed simulation approach is completed by using a fast (existing) collision detection algorithm. Simulation results are validating the effectiveness of the proposed modeling and simulation approach.

On compliant underactuated robotic fingers

“…Incorporating irregular surfaces in this port-based contact model is still challenging. Following the recommendations in [63], the author, together with the co-authors, presented a first step towards incorporating these irregular surfaces in the port-based contact model by using global contact point detection approaches from the field of computer graphics, see [98].…”

“…The presented method in [98] should be generalized to interpolation methods for the reconstruction of 3D surfaces of (closed) objects generated with e.g. CAD software, such as tried in [99].…”