Time-Optimal Anti-Sloshing Trajectory Planning for Multiple Liquid-Filled Containers Subject to SCARA Motion

This paper develops algorithms for planning time-optimal pick-and-place trajectories for multiple cylindrical containers filled with liquid and simultaneously transported by a robot. The considered trajectories comprise 3D translations combined with a 1D rotation about the vertical direction, i.e. SCARA motions. The presented approach minimizes the execution time, while ensuring that the liquid surface within each container remains below an imposed threshold throughout the motion. Two types of optimal trajectories are studied: one optimizes the motion law along a given path, the other optimizes both the path and the motion law. Extensive simulations identify the most efficient optimization setup, whereas experiments validate the approach. The data sets of all simulated and experimental motions are distributed through an external repository.