Robot Manipulator Redundancy Resolution

Chapter 2G1 Type Scheme to JVL Inverse Kinematics

2.1 Introduction

In recent years, there have been numerous investigations in to robot manipulators [30–33], especially the redundant robot manipulators. Compared with the ordinary robot manipulators, the redundant one has more degrees of freedom (DOF) than necessary for position and orientation. It is worth noting that this characteristic improves the kinematic and the dynamic performance of the robot manipulator, such as increasing dexterity, avoiding obstacles and singularities, and optimizing joint velocity, which makes redundant the manipulators widely applied in the field of robotic manipulator control [34]. As one of the central issues in robot control, path tracking refers to making the end-effector move as expected by controlling the joints of robot manipulators. When the end-effector moves at a desired speed, it is often called path tracking control at the velocity level (JVL), which can fit in with the needs of the operators well with two advantages [35, 36]. One is that the high velocity can economize the execution time while the other one is that the low velocity can enhance the objective precision [37]. So the control at the velocity level is suited particularly well to tasks for machining operations, such as cutting and milling [38].

Robot kinematics, which studies the relationships between joint space and cartesian space, is a very effective way to control the robot manipulator and attracts numberous researchers ...