Distributed Operational Space Formulation of Serial Manipulators

Abstract

This paper presents a new parallel algorithm for the operational space dynamics of unconstrained serial manipulators, which outperforms contemporary sequential and parallel algorithms in the presence of two or more processors. The method employs a hybrid divide and conquer algorithm (DCA) multibody methodology which brings together the best features of the DCA and fast sequential techniques. The method achieves a logarithmic time complexity (O(log(n)) in the number of degrees of freedom (n) for computing the operational space inertia (Λe) of a serial manipulator in presence of O(n) processors. The paper also addresses the efficient sequential and parallel computation of the dynamically consistent generalized inverse (J¯e) of the task Jacobian, the associated null space projection matrix (Ne), and the joint actuator forces (τnull) which only affect the manipulator posture. The sequential algorithms for computing J¯e, Ne, and τnull are of O(n), O(n2), and O(n) computational complexity, respectively, while the corresponding parallel algorithms are of O(log(n)), O(n), and O(log(n)) time complexity in the presence of O(n) processors.