Trajectory Control of Multi-Axis Robotic Arms Based on Physics-Informed Neural Networks and Nonlinear Model Predictive Control

Multi-axis robotic arms are extensively utilized in intelligent manufacturing scenarios, with trajectory control in flexible scenarios constituting a primary challenge. Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) represent advanced methods that integrate physical laws with data-driven approaches. Despite their outstanding performance in integrating theory and data, research on their application for controlling robotic arms in complex scenarios remains limited. This paper establishes a nonlinear dynamic model based on the physical relationships between the axes of robotic arms. In the absence of prior data, Sobol sequence random sampling is employed to generate data, which are subsequently trained using PINNs. Considering system noise, the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is utilized to predict the next state in noisy environments, and Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) is implemented to control the robotic arm for trajectory tracking, achieving real-time control. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed Discrete Physics-Informed Predictive Control (DPIPC) method exhibits smaller position and velocity errors with less fluctuation compared to the method in the reference, indicating superior control capabilities.