ROBOT PATH PLANNING WITH PENETRATION GROWTH DISTANCE

An algorithmic approach to path finding is considered for a general cl ass of robotic systems. The basic idea is to formulate an optimization problem over a family of continuous paths which satisfy the specified end conditions and possess robot-obstacle collisions. The cost to be minimized depends on penetration growth distance, a new measure for th e depth of intersection between a pair of object models. The growth di stance and its derivatives with respect to configuration variables des cribing the orientation and position of the objects can be computed qu ickly. This is a key factor in attaining acceptable computational time s. Strategies that improve the efficiency and reliability of picking t he initial paths are considered. Significant reductions in computation al time are easily obtained by parallel processing. Numerical examples , including a 6 degrees-of-freedom robot moving in a three-dimensional work space, substantiate the approach. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, In c.