Hierarchical Control of Redundant Aerial Manipulators with Enhanced Field of View

Abstract

Providing the operator with a good view of the remote site is of paramount importance in aerial telemanipulation. In light of that, this paper proposes the application of a hierarchical control framework in order to tackle the problem of adjusting the field of view of an on-board camera as a secondary task. The proposed approach ensures that the flying base, and consequently the camera, can be steered in order to provide a distant operator with a desired field of view without disturbing the end-effector pose. The approach is focused on aerial manipulators with torque-controlled arms, like the DLR Suspended Aerial Manipulator (SAM), while allowing the base to be directly torque-controlled or, alternatively, through an inner-loop velocity controller. Quantitative, qualitative, and real-scenario experimental validation is carried out using the SAM and confirms the need for such an approach and its efficacy in achieving decoupled field-of-view control.