Path planning for a space robot using surface integral map

In this study, a path planning method combining the surface integral map with calculus of variation is proposed for a planar space robot with two rigid links mounted on a space vehicle. The procedure consists of two parts: one is global path planning based on the surface integral map, and the other is optimal path planning based on calculus of variation referring to the surface integral map. Since the surface integral map can be shown uniquely over the joint space, the proposed method makes path planning intuitive and easy. By using the method, the minimum-length-path that makes a specified variation in the vehicle's orientation can be developed systematically. Besides, the number of iterations for this method becomes quite less than that for other numerical searches.