Optimal time joint‐trajectory planning for an industrial manipulator using linear interpolation

The path of an industrial manipulator in a crowded workspace generally consists of a set of Cartesian straight-line segments connecting a set of two adjacent points. To achieve the Cartesian straight-line path (segment) is, however, a non-trivial task, and an alternative approach is to place enough intermediate points along a desired path and linearly interpolate between these points in the joint space. A method is developed that determines the subtravelling and transition times such that the total travelling time for this path is minimized subject to the maximum joint velocity and acceleration constraints. These results are simulated on a digital computer using a six-joint revolute manipulator to show their applications.