| Abstract: | This article presents a systematic approach for synthesizing the time‐optimal constant speed motion program for multiple manipulators moving a commonly held object along a specified Cartesian trajectory. In this approach, the motion program is constructed by using piecewise polynomials to blend the acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration periods. The polynomials are interpolated according to the boundary and continuity conditions to obtain a smooth and continuous profile. With this formulation, it is shown that the final form of the motion program can be established in terms of the initial acceleration, the constant operation speed, and the finial deceleration. The optimum values of these terms to allow the given trajectory to be executed in minimum time are determined based on the parametric dynamic equations of the system and the torque constraints of the actuator. This approach is conceptually straightforward and can be applied to various multirobot systems with nonlinear actuator constraints. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
