Method of tolerance-based trajectory planning

A method of operating a motive body, said method comprising the steps of:

• empirically determining predictive errors in movement of the motive body;
• monitoring actual movements of the motive body;
• and
• controlling the actual movements of the motive body dependent upon:
• the empirically determined predictive errors;
• and
• random errors in the actual movements of the motive body.

A method of operating a motive body having a plurality of sequential movements, said method comprising the steps of:

• sensing an actual position of the motive body after a first of the movements of the motive body;
• calculating a target position of the motive body based on the sensing step, the target position being calculated to compensate for predictive errors and random errors in the movements of the motive body;
• and
• repeating the sensing and calculating steps for other ones of the movements of the motive body.

A method of operating a motive body, said method comprising the steps of:

• sensing an actual position of the motive body;
• calculating a position error between the actual position of the motive body and a desired position of the motive body;
• comparing the position error to a specified error tolerance;
• and
• adjusting a speed of the motive body dependent upon the comparing step.

A method of operating a motive body, said method comprising the steps of:

• sensing an actual position of the motive body along each of a plurality of axes;
• calculating a multi-dimensional position error between the actual position of the motive body in each of the axes and a multi-dimensional reference trajectory;
• producing a multi-dimensional position error signal dependent upon the calculating step;
• and
• controlling at least one of a speed and a direction of the motive body dependent upon the multi-dimensional position error signal.