CHAPTER 10
 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS


 Summary

 The objective of this work was to design and implement motion control strategies for the

orange-picking robot. At the onset of the work, a plan for undertaking this task was developed.

First, the configuration and critical dimensions of the robot were investigated along with the

software environment from which the motion control strategies would be summoned. Then the

kinematic relationships between each of the joints was examined. Open-loop dynamic models

for the joints of the robot were estimated from the joints' responses to input signals. The

required performance of each of the controllers was defined based on typical fruit motions and

the necessary relationship between the fruit and the picking mechanism for successful fruit

removal from the tree. Finally, motion control strategies were developed, implemented, and

tested for control of the robot based on velocity, position, and vision information.

 Kinematic relationships between the robot's joints provided a means for determining

changes in the position and orientation of the end-effector based on changes in the position of

the joints. More importantly, the kinematic relationships furnished a means for determining

the relationship between the actual position of a fruit and the position of the fruit's image in

the camera's image plane. This knowledge of the fruit's position supplied vital information for

developing the vision system gains. These vision gains were later used for scheduling the

changes in the position of the revolute joints as the picking mechanism was extended toward

the targeted fruit.

 The dynamic models of the joints provided needed information for designing and tuning

the motion control strategies. From step tests, the dynamic characteristics of each joint were

determined. These tests confirmed that the joints responded as second order systems allowing