Generalized Distance Between Compact Convex Sets: Algorithms and Applications

This paper presents algorithms to compute the generalized distance between two separated or penetrating compact convex sets, which is defined as the minimum or maximum scale factor of a given gauge set such that the scaled gauge set intersects or is contained in the Minkowski difference of the two sets. The traditional Euclidean distance is a special case where the origin-centered unit ball is used as the gauge set. While the generalized distance was proposed almost a decade ago, the only practical method for its computation has been general-purpose numerical optimization, which is computationally expensive. In contrast, our geometry-based algorithms are efficient and guarantee globally optimal solutions. Important applications of the algorithms in robotics include collision detection and grasp planning. The algorithm for computing the penetration distance also provides an accurate and efficient approach to flatness error evaluation, which is a fundamental problem in manufacturing. We demonstrate that our algorithms possess superior efficiency and accuracy in these applications.