Image-based Visual Servoing of a Gough - Stewart Parallel Manipulator using Leg Observations

In this paper, a tight coupling between computer vision and parallel robotics is exhibited through the projective line geometry. Indeed, contrary to the usual methodology where the robot is modeled independently from the control law which will be implemented, we take into account, since the early modeling stage, that vision will be used for control. Hence, kinematic modeling and projective geometry are fused into a control-devoted projective kinematic model. Thus, a novel vision-based kinematic modeling of a Gough-Stewart manipulator is proposed through the image projection of its cylindrical legs. Using this model, a visual servoing scheme is presented, where the image projection of the non-rigidly linked legs are servoed, rather than the end-effector pose.