COLLISION-AVOIDANCE IN MULTIPLE-REDUNDANT MANIPULATORS

A new objective function is introduced to solve the underspecified inv erse-kinematic problem of multiple-redundant manipulators. The objecti ve function, Maximum Distance Criterion (MXDC), is based on the sum of the distances between key points along each of the manipulator kinema tic structures. These points are called configuration control points ( CCP), and are selected to represent sufficiently the manipulator's con figuration in Cartesian space. The objective function is used as a glo bal criterion in multiple-redundant arm-joint configuration optimizati on, enabling safe joint configurations to be determined while the robo ts are tracking desired end-effector trajectories. MXDC is tested usin g computer simulations, and compared with other existing criteria for optimizing multiple-redundant manipulator configurations. The proper s election of a set of configuration control points is vitally important in the application of MXDC. This is investigated in a series of simul ation examples, and qualitative guidelines for choosing CCP are presen ted.