Among the many methods of solving inverse kinematics (IK) of redundant manipulators, the classic weighted least-norm (WLN) method is often introduced to avoid joint position limits effectively but cannot be extended to restrict other constraints. Another general technique uses the fashioned gradient projection method (GPM) that ensures successes of the main task and the constraints-based subtasks but suffers with regard to the proper selections for the coefficients of performance criteria. Inspired by the merits of WLN and GPM, a weighted gradient projection method (WGPM) is proposed in this paper to resolve IK problems of redundant manipulators with multiple performance criteria. In this approach, its structure is formulated as a hierarchical task-level regulation, where the highest priority is to accomplish the main task higher than the avoidance of joint position limits, and the priorities of other subtasks of the performance criteria are dependent on the clamping weighted matrix in descending order. Moreover, to avoid the defect of selecting scalar factors for different criteria by trial and error in GPM, a technique of determining proper scalar coefficients is presented by means of normalizing corresponding performance functions in WGPM. Using a 7 degree-of-freedom (DOF) redundant manipulator, simulations and experiments are conducted to demonstrate the validity of the proposed WGPM method by comparing it with the results of the traditional WLN and GPM methods, respectively.
Highlights• Multiple performance criteria are taken into account in resolving IK problems of redundant manipulators. • The hierarchical method can guarantee implementations of the main task and the subtasks. • A scalar coefficient of performance criterion is adjusted on-line by the normalization method. • The obtained results prove the effectiveness of the proposed WGPM method.