LINEARIZATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF ROBOT DYNAMICS VIA INERTIAL PARAMETER DESIGN

In this article, the concept of linearity number (LN) is introduced to measure the ''linearity'' of the equations of motion of a serial mani pulator. This number is computable in closed-form and is an average qu antitative index of the degree of linearity of the robot over a specif ied region in the joint space. The definition is flexible, allowing th e user to create custom-made definitions according to his or her speci fic needs. Using the concept of LN and the developed computer package CADLOR, one can design the kinematic and/or inertial parameters of the robot such that the robot is completely linear (or as linear as possi ble) and obtain the corresponding equations of motion in closed-form. Three manipulators are used to illustrate the linearization algorithm. The relation between LN and the performance of a linear controller is demonstrated by a case study in which the first 3 links of a PUMA 560 type robot is considered. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.