Inertial parameter estimation and control of non-cooperative target with unilateral contact constraint

In this paper, the relative sliding motion between the target and the manipulator’s end-effector is considered and characterized as a unilateral contact constraint. A new possible solution is presented to estimate the inertial parameters of a non-cooperative target while the relative sliding motion exists. First, the detailed analysis of the dynamical model is presented, and a parameter-explicit linear time-varying model is obtained. Then, an extended state observer is constructed based on the new model, which can effectively estimate the unknown inertial parameters of the target when relative sliding motion exists. As the modified reactionless controller requires the knowledge of inertial parameters, a hybrid post-capture control scheme is also established based on the switch law between different controllers. The correctness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm are validated by numerical simulation, which proves a potential framework for the non-cooperative target post-capture operation.