On the \(G^2\) Hermite interpolation problem with clothoids (Q2279847)

The clothoid, also known as Euler spiral or Cornu spiral, is connected with the name of Fresnel because it can be expressed via the Fresnel integrals. This is a plane curve with the property that the curvature is a linear function of the arc length. The \(G^2\) Hermite Interpolation Problem with clothoid curves requires to find the interpolating clothoid that matches initial and final positions, tangents and curvatures, also known as \(G^2\) Hermite data. The authors show that this problem does not always admit solution with only one or two clothoid segments. They propose a scheme involving three segments determined via the solution of a nonlinear system of 8 equations in 10 unknowns which can be eventually recast into a system of 2 equations and efficiently solved by means of the Newton method. The algorithm is tested on a fine hypercube of all possible configurations of angles and curvatures. It always converges and in the worst case it requires 5 standard Newton iterations.