Manipulator control with torque interpolation

The use of torque interpolation for manipulator path control is studied. To construct the approximate functions of control torques, the joint positions, velocities, and accelerations at knots selected along a planned path are calculated and nominal joint torques at those knots are computed using the Newton-Euler formulation. Piecewise linear or cubic polynomial functions (time functions) for interpolating the torque trajectories are then constructed. The interpolation functions are used for computing feedforward torques during the control. Simulation results are presented. They show that the computational burden is reduced and, for a small interpolation time interval, a better control accuracy can be achieved