Chapter 13 – Trajectory generation

This chapter presents several methods of trajectory generation that are commonly used in robotics. The chapter deals with point-to-point trajectories, studying different interpolation functions. For each function, the minimum traveling time is computed, from which it is possible to synchronize the joints so that they reach the final point simultaneously. This chapter also presents three methods of trajectory generation with via points. In the first method, straight line segments joining the via points are blended together by continuous acceleration phases. In the second method, the path passes through the via points, the trajectory being described by a sequence of cubic spline functions. In the third method, the trajectory is computed on a predefined continuous path. These methods apply for both joint space and task space. The choice of a space depends on the trajectory specification and on the task description.