Pace pattern generation for an pipeline robot

The authors of this paper consider a planar pipeline robot with four legs, each made of two links connected via actuated rotational joints. The paper is focused on developing a method for generating pace patterns that rely on analytical formulas and recursive algorithmic procedures, which can be easily implemented on the robot's on-board computer or microcontroller. The paper presents a pace generation method that exploits a simple geometric description of the pipeline to solve the problem of generating step point sequences and operational space trajectories for the robot. In addition, the paper presents an analytic solution of the inverse kinematics problem. The simulation of the robot's motion governed by the proposed algorithms shows how the resulting pace patterns depend on the geometry of the corresponding pipeline.