Optimal Robot Motion Generation Respecting Position-Dependent Safety Constraints

The paper proposes an optimization-based motion planner that is capable of handling position-dependent safety con-straints, such as zone-based tool speed limitation. Making use of implicitly defined surfaces c(p)=0, such safety related constraints are integrated into an optimal control problem, together with robot-centric and environment-related con-straints. The approach is tested based on a sample collaborative pick and place application and the optimal motion results are validated in RobotStudio. In addition to their local time optimality, the resulting motions respect and exploit all con-straints without triggering spurious protective stops, which leads to an increase in both efficiency and usability.