SmartMove4: an industrial implementation of trajectory planning for robots

Purpose - A minimum-time path-following algorithm for industrial robots is presented in this paper. Design/methodology/approach - The algorithm generates off-line a trajectory that, by exploiting knowledge of the dynamic model, takes into account the actuators' torque limits while preserving the geometric path. Findings - The algorithm has been designed, implemented and extensively tested on a Comau SMART H4 robot, a closed-chain six-degree-of-freedom industrial manipulator. Practical implications - The algorithm is currently part of the new generation of industrial controllers of the Comau robots, the C4G controller. It is a feature added as with the name SmartMove4. Originality/value - The paper presents a new minimum-time path-following algorithm for industrial robots that, by exploiting knowledge of the dynamic model, takes into account the actuators' torque limits while preserving the geometric path.