US 12,168,300 B2
Nonlinear trajectory optimization for robotic devices
C. Dario Bellicoso, Boston, MA (US); Logan W. Tutt, Boston, MA (US); Neil M. Neville, Waltham, MA (US); and Alexander D. Perkins, Lincoln, MA (US)
Assigned to Boston Dynamics, Inc., Waltham, MA (US)
Filed by Boston Dynamics, Inc., Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on Oct. 18, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/504,445.
Prior Publication US 2023/0117928 A1, Apr. 20, 2023
Int. Cl. B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 13/08 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 9/1666 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1633 (2013.01); B25J 9/1653 (2013.01); B25J 9/1676 (2013.01); B25J 13/085 (2013.01); B25J 13/089 (2013.01)] 40 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
(a) receiving, by a computing system of a robot from a perception module of the robot, an initial state of at least a portion of the robot and a goal state of the at least a portion of the robot;
(b) providing as input to a nonlinear solver implemented by the computing system, a first representation of the initial state and a second representation of the goal state, wherein the nonlinear solver is configured to determine using the first representation, the second representation, and nonlinear optimization, a candidate trajectory for the at least a portion of the robot to move from the initial state to the goal state, the candidate trajectory including parameters for each of a plurality of joints corresponding to the at least a portion of the robot;
(c) determining, by the computing system, whether the candidate trajectory is feasible; and
(d) controlling, by the computing system, when it is determined that the candidate trajectory is feasible, actuators associated with the plurality of joints corresponding to the at least a portion of the robot based on the parameters for each of the plurality of joints to move the at least a portion of the robot from the initial state to the goal state.