A Finite-Time Convergent Neural Network for Solving Time-Varying Linear Equations with Inequality Constraints Applied to Redundant Manipulator

Zhang neural network (ZNN), a special recurrent neural network, has recently been established as an effective alternative for time-varying linear equations with inequality constraints (TLEIC) solving. Still, the convergent time produced by the ZNN model always tends to infinity. In contrast to ZNN, a finite-time convergent neural network (FCNN) is proposed for the TLEIC problem. By introducing a non-negative slack variable, the initial form of the TLEIC has been transformed into a system of time-varying linear equation. Afterwards, the stability and finite-time performance of the FCNN model is substantiated by the theoretical analysis. Then, simulation results further verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed FCNN model as compared with the ZNN model for solving TLEIC problem. Finally, the proposed FCNN model is successfully applied to the trajectory planning of redundant manipulators with joint limitations, thereby illustrating the applicability of the new neural network model.