On the motion coordination and planning of multi-axis manipulators with orthogonal regional structures

Presents a general theory on the generation of a piecewise constant speed profile for coordinated motion of multi-axis manipulators with orthogonal regional structures. Motion with constant speed is important and required in many manufacturing processes, such as milling, welding, finishing and painting. In the paper, a piecewise constant speed profile is constructed by a sequence of Hermite curves to form a composite Hermite curve in parametric domain. Due to the continuity of acceleration in the proposed speed profile, it generates relatively better product quality than traditional techniques. The author also provides a method for the feasibility study of manufacturing capability in terms of the given manipulator, the desired path, and the assigned speed. This includes the consideration of manipulator dynamics, actuator limitation, path geometry, jerk constraints and motion kinematics. The result is a general one and is applicable to all curves tracked by multi-axis manipulators with orthogonal regional structures.<>