Explicit Time-Optimal Speed Profiles for Planar Paths with Monotone Curvature

Abstract

Minimum-time speed profiles are constructed for planar paths with smooth strictly-monotonic signed curvature, subject to constraints on velocity, normal acceleration and tangential acceleration. The construction is explicit and exact, and global optimality is rigorously established from first principles under mild regularity conditions on the path. Free, fixed, and inequality-constrained boundary speeds are all accommodated. Numerical implementation is straightforward.