Abstract
The concept of discrete-time nonholonomic systems, in which the constraints cannot be represented as algebraic equations of generalized coordinates, is introduced. In particular, the constraints formulated as differece equations of generalized coordinates are considered. Such systems can be seen in the digital control of continuous-time nonholonomic systems, and in mechanical systems with repetitive and discontinuous constraints. A two-wheeled mobile robot and pivoting manipulation of a polyhedral object are described as simple examples. The k-step reachable region is defined as the set of the k-th state which the system can reach from the initial state, and the reachability of such systems is discussed. A motion planning method using the Jacobian matrix of the state with regard to the input series is proposed.
