Implementation of time-optimal smooth and collision-free path planning in a two robot arm environment

In this paper time-optimal, smooth and collision-free cubic spline path planning in an environment with two industrial robot arms is implemented. A suitable objective function combining the requirements of time optimality and smoothness of paths is put forward which is subject to the continuity of joint positions, velocities, and accelerations, the limits on their rates of change and collision-free constraints. A fast and effective collision detection method is used. A nonlinear optimization method is used to solve this problem. The resulting joint trajectories or spatial Cartesian paths are time-optimal, smooth and collision-free. The feasibility of this method is illustrated both by simulation and by experimental results with two RTX SCARA type robot arms. Further fast parallel implementation is outlined.