Long Arm Manipulator Path Interpolation Using 4th Order B-Splines

In this paper the 6 DoF path interpolation for a long arm manipulator is presented. The method uses fourth order B-Splines to generate smooth, differentiable trajectories where Tool Center Point (TCP) positions, velocities and accelerations are continuous functions. The interpolation routine includes both position and orientation of the TCP, where the orientation is defined by a normalised quaternion. The joint positions, velocities and accelerations are also continuous and smooth functions and found using inverse kinematics conversion based on the Pieper’s solution for seven joints. The proposed method can be used for point-to-point trajectories and trajectories via points.