Obstacle Avoidance Trajectory Planning and ESO-MPC Tracking Control for a 6-DOF Manipulator in Constrained Environments

To address the challenges of constrained grid-like compartments, a motion framework integrating adaptive obstacle avoidance planning and active disturbance rejection control is proposed. First, an Adaptive Rapidly exploring Random Tree Star (Adaptive RRT*) algorithm based on multi-source state feedback is developed. Scaled-down model simulations show that, compared to conventional algorithms, its path length (374.28 mm), planning time (0.30 s), and node count (50.83) are reduced by at least 29.5%, 64.7%, and 28.6%, respectively, achieving a 100% planning success rate. Next, a control scheme based on Extended State Observer–Model Predictive Control (ESO-MPC) is designed. Simulations indicate that under nominal conditions, tracking errors are reduced by 5.78–84.35% compared to traditional MPC. Under a 20% link mass perturbation, the scheme effectively eliminates phase lag. Under complex scenarios involving parameter perturbation and a 0.6 N·m step torque disturbance, the tracking error reduction ranges from 25.27% to 87.59%, exhibiting excellent disturbance rejection robustness. Physical experiments conducted on a scaled-down experimental platform further verify that the maximum tracking errors of the manipulator end-effector along the x, y, and z axes under ESO-MPC are 0.88 mm, 0.85 mm, and 0.89 mm, respectively, significantly outperforming the 2.41 mm, 2.39 mm, and 2.47 mm observed with MPC. Finally, obstacle avoidance and trajectory-tracking simulations of an industrial manipulator in a full-scale ship compartment environment validate the engineering feasibility of the proposed framework.