Mutual-Collision-Avoidance Scheme Synthesized by Neural Networks for Dual Redundant Robot Manipulators Executing Cooperative Tasks

Novel Snap-Layer MMPC Scheme via Neural Dynamics Equivalency and Solver for Redundant Robot Arms With Five-Layer Physical Limits

To obtain smoother kinematic control of minimum motion, a novel snap-layer minimum motion scheme, otherwise known as the minimum motion planning and control (MMPC) scheme for redundant robot arms, is proposed for the first time in this study. With the primary task of tracking planned paths and the consideration of satisfying five-layer physical limits, the snap-layer MMPC problem is transformed into a quadratic programming (QP) problem. Five-layer physical limits include angle-layer, velocity-layer, acceleration-layer, jerk-layer, and snap-layer limits, which are all considered and then transformed into a unified-layer bounded constraint through Zhang neural dynamics (ZND) equivalency. Furthermore, the snap-layer performance index and equation constraint are derived by utilizing the ZND formula. Therefore, the proposed snap-layer MMPC scheme is formulated as a standard QP that can avoid the potential physical damage of redundant robot arms. The snap-layer projection neural dynamics (PND) solver is presented and used to acquire the neural solution of the QP. Simulation results on a 6-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) planar redundant robot arm are presented to substantiate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed snap-layer MMPC scheme by comparing it with the jerk-layer MMPC scheme and the minimum snap norm (MSN) scheme.

A Novel Swarm-Exploring Neurodynamic Network for Obtaining Global Optimal Solutions to Nonconvex Nonlinear Programming Problems

A swarm-exploring neurodynamic network (SENN) based on a two-timescale model is proposed in this study for solving nonconvex nonlinear programming problems. First, by using a convergent-differential neural network (CDNN) as a local quadratic programming (QP) solver and combining it with a two-timescale model design method, a two-timescale convergent-differential (TTCD) model is exploited, and its stability is analyzed and described in detail. Second, swarm exploration neurodynamics are incorporated into the TTCD model to obtain an SENN with global search capabilities. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed SENN is demonstrated via simulation, and the superiority of the SENN is exhibited through a comparison with existing collaborative neurodynamics methods. The advantage of the SENN is that it only needs a single recurrent neural network (RNN) interact, while the compared collaborative neurodynamic approach (CNA) involves multiple RNN runs.

An FPGA-Implemented Antinoise Fuzzy Recurrent Neural Network for Motion Planning of Redundant Robot Manipulators

When a robot completes end-effector tasks, internal error noises always exist. To resist internal error noises of robots, a novel fuzzy recurrent neural network (FRNN) is proposed, designed, and implemented on field-programmable gated array (FPGA). The implementation is pipeline-based, which guarantees the order of overall operations. The data processing is based on across-clock domain, which is beneficial for computing units' acceleration. Compared with traditional gradient-based neural networks (NNs) and zeroing neural networks (ZNNs), the proposed FRNN has faster convergence rate and higher correctness. Practical experiments on a 3 degree-of-freedom (DOs) planar robot manipulator show that the proposed fuzzy RNN coprocessor needs 496 lookup table random access memories (LUTRAMs), 205.5 block random access memories (BRAMs), 41384 lookup tables (LUTs), and 16743 flip-flops (FFs) of the Xilinx XCZU9EG chip.

Dimensional optimisation and an inverse kinematic solution method of a safety-enhanced remote centre of motion manipulator

BACKGROUND

With the expansion of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) applications in surgery, the remote centre of motion (RCM) manipulator requires a more flexible workspace to meet different operation requirements. Thus, the mechanical structure and motion control of the RCM manipulator play important roles.

METHODS

A multi-objective genetic algorithm was exploited to maximise the kinematic performance and obtain a compact structure of the RCM manipulator. An inverse kinematic solution method is proposed to meet task accuracy and kinematic singularity avoidance constraints for safety motion control.

RESULTS

Simulation results demonstrate that there are significant improvements in the reachable workspace inside the abdominal cavity, the flexibility of the workspace, kinematic performance, and compactness of the RCM manipulator. Experiments verify the feasibility of the prototype and the validity of the proposed inverse kinematic solution method.

CONCLUSIONS

This enhances the adaptability and safety of the RCM manipulator and provides potential prospects for MIS application.

A direct discretization recurrent neurodynamics method for time-variant nonlinear optimization with redundant robot manipulators

Discrete time-variant nonlinear optimization (DTVNO) problems are commonly encountered in various scientific researches and engineering application fields. Nowadays, many discrete-time recurrent neurodynamics (DTRN) methods have been proposed for solving the DTVNO problems. However, these traditional DTRN methods currently employ an indirect technical route in which the discrete-time derivation process requires to interconvert with continuous-time derivation process. In order to break through this traditional research method, we develop a novel DTRN method based on the inspiring direct discrete technique for solving the DTVNO problem more concisely and efficiently. To be specific, firstly, considering that the DTVNO problem emerging in the discrete-time tracing control of robot manipulator, we further abstract and summarize the mathematical definition of DTVNO problem, and then we define the corresponding error function. Secondly, based on the second-order Taylor expansion, we can directly obtain the DTRN method for solving the DTVNO problem, which no longer requires the derivation process in the continuous-time environment. Whereafter, such a DTRN method is theoretically analyzed and its convergence is demonstrated. Furthermore, numerical experiments confirm the effectiveness and superiority of the DTRN method. In addition, the application experiments of the robot manipulators are presented to further demonstrate the superior performance of the DTRN method.

The opening workspace control strategy of a novel manipulator-driven emission source microscopy system

Emission source microscopy (ESM) technique can be utilized for localization of electromagnetic interference sources in the electronic systems, but its accuracy is limited by the typical planar scanning mode. In order to increase the accuracy, this paper presents a novel cylinder-aperture ESM measurement system driven by 6-DOF manipulator, and investigated the control strategy to generate the maximum-area aperture and optimized scanning trajectory. Based on the multiple constraints of the cylinder-aperture ESM measurement, we proposes analyzing the impact of the constraints by steps. This can obtain the analytical solution of the manipulator workspace and support solving the maximum aperture area. Besides, a modified RRT*(Rapidly-exploring Random Trees) algorithm is addressed to optimize the manipulator trajectory. The simulation and tests have proven that this algorithm could obviously reduce the joint mutation and cumulative tracking error. In the experimental section, the near-field scanning (NFS) tests, planar-aperture ESM measurement and proposed cylinder-aperture ESM measurement were conducted to measure one benchmark emission source. The results have demonstrated that the cylinder-aperture ESM measurement has the best convergences on the radiation pattern of the emission source.

A Novel Neural Approach to Infinity-Norm Joint-Velocity Minimization of Kinematically Redundant Robots Under Joint Limits

Generally, the infinity-norm joint-velocity minimization (INVM) of physically constrained kinematically redundant robots can be formulated as time-variant linear programming (TVLP) with equality and inequality constraints. Zeroing neural network (ZNN) is an effective neural method for solving equality-constrained TVLP. For inequality-constrained TVLP, however, existing ZNNs become incompetent due to the lack of relevant derivative information and the inability to handle inequality constraints. Currently, there is no capable ZNN in the literature that has achieved the INVM of redundant robots under joint limits. To fill this gap, a classical INVM scheme is first introduced in this article. Then, a new joint-limit handling technique is proposed and employed to convert the INVM scheme into a unified TVLP with full derivative information. By using a perturbed Fisher-Burmeister function, the TVLP is further converted into a nonlinear equation. These conversion techniques lay a foundation for the success of designing a capable ZNN. To solve the nonlinear equation and the TVLP, a novel continuous-time ZNN (CTZNN) is designed and its corresponding discrete-time ZNN (DTZNN) is established using an extrapolated backward differentiation formula. Theoretical analysis is rigorously conducted to prove the convergence of the neural approach. Numerical studies are performed by comparing the DTZNN solver and the state-of-the-art (SOTA) linear programming (LP) solvers. Comparative results show that the DTZNN consumes the least computing time and can be a powerful alternative to the SOTA solvers. The DTZNN and the INVM scheme are finally applied to control two kinematically redundant robots. Both simulative and experimental results show that the robots successfully accomplish user-specified path-tracking tasks, verifying the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed neural approach and the INVM scheme equipped with the new joint-limit handling technique.

Simultaneous Obstacle Avoidance and Target Tracking of Multiple Wheeled Mobile Robots With Certified Safety

Collision avoidance plays a major part in the control of the wheeled mobile robot (WMR). Most existing collision-avoidance methods mainly focus on a single WMR and environmental obstacles. There are few products that cast light on the collision-avoidance between multiple WMRs (MWMRs). In this article, the problem of simultaneous collision-avoidance and target tracking is investigated for MWMRs working in the shared environment from the perspective of optimization. The collision-avoidance strategy is formulated as an inequality constraint, which has proven to be collision free between the MWMRs. The designed MWMRs control scheme integrates path following, collision-avoidance, and WMR velocity compliance, in which the path following task is chosen as the secondary task, and collision-avoidance is the primary task so that safety can be guaranteed in advance. A Lagrangian-based dynamic controller is constructed for the dominating behavior of the MWMRs. Combining theoretical analyses and experiments, the feasibility of the designed control scheme for the MWMRs is substantiated. Experimental results show that if obstacles do not threaten the safety of the WMR, the top priority in the control task is the target track task. All robots move along the desired trajectory. Once the collision criterion is satisfied, the collision-avoidance mechanism is activated and prominent in the controller. Under the proposed scheme, all robots achieve the target tracking on the premise of being collision free.

Estimator and command filtering-based neural network control for flexible-joint robotic manipulators driven by electricity

The article proposes an estimator and command filtering-based adaptive neural network controller for the electrically driven flexible-joint robotic manipulators with output constraints under the circumstance of matched and mismatched disturbances in system dynamics. The presented method is designed based on electrically driven model of the n-link flexible-joint robotic manipulators, which introduces more uncertainties and increases the dimensionality of the system but is more in line with practical. In view of the properties of fast convergence speed and great estimation performance in radial basis function neural network, radial basis function neural network is used to approximate the internal uncertain dynamic parameters of the system. An observer-based estimator is introduced for estimating the matched and mismatched disturbances in flexible-joint robotic manipulator dynamics. As to the differential explosion problem in backstepping control design, this article utilizes second-order command filters to overcome it. This article also adopts barrier Lyapunov functions for implementing output constraint to consider security issues in practical use. For demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed controller, numerical simulations on two-link flexible-joint robotic manipulators are conducted. On the basis of the comparisons among estimator and command filtering-based adaptive neural network controller and other advanced controllers, the superiorities of estimator and command filtering-based adaptive neural network controller in several areas are proved.

Review of wheeled mobile robot collision avoidance under unknown environment

Recently, the working scenes of the robot have been emerging as diversity and complexity with gradually mature of robotic control technology. The challenge of robot adaptability emerges, especially in complicated and unknown environments. Among the numerous researches on improving the adaptability of robots, aiming at avoiding collision between robot and external environment, obstacle avoidance has drawn much attention. Compared to the global circumvention requiring the environmental information that is known, the local obstacle avoidance is a promising method due to the environment is possibly dynamic and unknown. This study is aimed at making a review of research progress about local obstacle avoidance methods for wheeled mobile robots (WMRs) under complex unknown environment in the last 20 years. Sensor-based obstacle perception and identification is first introduced. Then, obstacle avoidance methods related to WMRs' motion control are reviewed, mainly including artificial potential field (APF)-based, population-involved meta heuristic-based, artificial neural network (ANN)-based, fuzzy logic (FL)-based and quadratic optimization-based, etc. Next, the relevant research on Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) is surveyed. Finally, conclusion and prospection are given. Appropriate obstacle avoidance methods should be chosen based on the specific requirements or criterion. For the moment, effective fusion of multiple obstacle avoidance methods is becoming a promising method.