Improving the Efficiency of Time-Optimal Path-Following Algorithms

Abstract

This paper presents a new method which significantly improves the computational efficiency of time-optimal path-following planning algorithms for robot manipulators with limited actuator torques. The approach exploits the fact that the characteristic switching points of earlier techniques can be found directly in a straightforward fashion. Numerical examples, while showing the consistency of the algorithm with the existing techniques, demonstrate its potential for increasing computational efficiency by several orders of magnitude.