Dual-Channel EtherCAT Control System for 33-DOF Humanoid Robot TOCABI

Abstract

Multi-axis actuation robotics systems comprising many joints with a floating base require more stability and safety than fixed robots and thus require more considerations. In this paper, we describe the implementation of a real-time EtherCAT control system for the TOCABI humanoid robot with 33 degrees of freedom (DOFs) is described. The focus is on the development of a high-performing EtherCAT MainDevice, which enables control of the robot's high DOF at fast communication cycles. We also explore the use of a dual-channel EtherCAT MainDevice as a redundancy mechanism to handle communication disruptions and show that this configuration reduces the burden on the communication network and increases the communication cycle, leading to good real-time performance. To demonstrate the advantages of the system, we examine the performance of the EtherCAT communication and evaluate the impact of RTnet on realtime performance, demonstrating that a high-performing EtherCAT MainDevice having hard real-time capabilities can be established using open-source software. The results of this work demonstrate the potential of using dual channels in EtherCAT MainDevice configurations and utilizing open-source software to implement low-cost EtherCAT MainDevice systems. The paper's contribution to the field is its indication of developing stable robot systems with high DOF, which require hard real-time capability, even with opensource software.INDEX TERMS Framework, humanoid robot, real-time, robot control system.

Real-Time EtherCAT-Based Control Architecture for Electro-Hydraulic Humanoid

“…(iii) the software latency does not exceed 58 µs, and the deterministic behavior is achieved. Our results show an improvement of 20% for the update rate over those reported by [18], where they achieved a 4 kHz update rate, which is the highest rate according to our knowledge. Also, the results show a reduction by approximately 40% in the control task latency compared to those achieved in [32].…”

“…It can achieve a bandwidth of up to 1 Gbps or even 10 Gbps. This communication protocol was used in the Atlas [15], TALOS [16], Hydra [17], TOCABI [18], and WalkMan [19] robots.…”

“…If the damping factor is greater than one, then the response is over-damped. The expression for the angular velocity of the rotary hydraulic motor servo system is shown in Equation (18).…”

Investigation of Force-Controlled Polishing of Complex Curved PMMA Parts on a Machining Center

“…The master-slave structure and distributed clock synchronization technology of EtherCAT enable highly efficient data transmission in the network, facilitating low communication latency to meet the real-time requirements of force-controlled polishing. This integration reduces system costs and enhances overall performance [34][35][36]. The first component of the hardware architecture, referred to as the master, comprises an industrial PC serving as the central control device in EtherCAT master-slave communication.…”

“…requirements of force-controlled polishing. This integration reduces system costs and enhances overall performance [34][35][36]. The first component of the hardware architecture, referred to as the master, comprises an industrial PC serving as the central control device in EtherCAT master-slave communication.…”