Minimum time path-tracking control of redundant manipulators

We propose a time-optimal control scheme for kinematically redundant manipulators to track a predefined geometric path, subject to joint torque limits. The scheme makes full use of redundancy to increase the path-tracking velocity, and the the optimal trajectory planning problem is solved by using phase-plane analysis and linear programming technique. Computer simulation is also executed on a three-link planar rotary manipulator to show that, 1) the redundancy of the manipulator is fully used to increase the path-tracking velocity, and 2) redundant joints plus one more joint use their bound values of torque all the the while the minimum time path-tracking task is performed