Method of performing additive lookahead for adaptive cutting feedrate control

A method of processing path data for a motive body, said method comprising the steps of:

• identifying a plurality of points along a target path;
• establishing a maximum allowable level of deviation of an actual path from the target path;
• ascertaining a curvature of the target path at a plurality of locations along the target path;
• determining a maximum allowable tolerance speed of the motive body at each of the points along the target path, the maximum allowable tolerance speed being dependent upon the maximum allowable level of deviation and the curvature;
• determining a maximum allowable stopping distance of the motive body at a last of the points;
• ascertaining a last maximum allowable stopping speed of the motive body at the last point such that the motive body may come to a stop within the maximum allowable stopping distance;
• establishing an other maximum allowable stopping speed of the motive body at each of the points other than the last point such that the may possibly slow down to the last maximum allowable speed upon arriving at the last point;
• and
• identifying a lesser of the maximum allowable tolerance speed and the maximum allowable stopping speed at each of the points.

A method of processing path data for a motive body, said method comprising the steps of:

• identifying a plurality of points along a target path, each selected two of the points being separated by a respective segment length;
• determining a maximum allowable stopping distance of the motive body at a last of the points;
• and
• ascertaining a maximum allowable speed of the motive body at an other one of the points such that a required stopping distance of the motive body at the other point is one of equal to and less than a sum of the maximum allowable stopping distance at the last point and the segment length between the other point and the last point.