Time optimal path planning for a wheeled mobile robot

This paper investigates time optimal path planning under kinematic and dynamic constraints for a 2-DOF wheeled mobile robot (WMR). The dynamic model of a WMR is derived using the Newton-Euler method and the constraints are analyzed. Kinematic constraints are imposed by WMR's nonholonomy and structural limits, while dynamic constraints are due to motor saturation. The path planning is formulated as a two-stage planning. First, path planning under kinematic constraints is transformed into a pure geometric problem, The shortest path composed of circular arcs and straight lines is obtained. Then, a time optimal velocity profile is generated under dynamic constraints. Since constraints of a WMR are fully exploited, the proposed method is simple and effective. Simulation results are demonstrated. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.