Piecewise line-symmetric spherical motions for orientation interpolation in 5-Axis CNC tool path planning

Abstract

This paper employs quaternion biarcs to interpolate a set of orientations with angular velocity constraints. The resulting quaternion curve represents a piecewise line-symmetric spherical motion with C1 continuity. The purpose of this effort is to put line-symmetric motions into use from the viewpoint of motion approximation and interpolation, and to present their potential applications in Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) machining simulation and tool path planning. Quaternion biarcs may be used to approximate B-spline quaternion curves that represent rational spherical motions that have applications in robot path planning, CAD/CAM and computer graphics.