Kinematic and Dynamic Analysis of the 2-DOF Spherical Wrist of Orthoglide 5-axis

This paper deals with the kinematics and dynamics of a two degree of freedom spherical manipulator, the wrist of Orthoglide 5-axis. The latter is a parallel kinematics machine composed of two manipulators: i) the Orthoglide 3-axis; a three-dof translational parallel manipulator that belongs to the family of Delta robots, and ii) the Agile eye; a two-dof parallel spherical wrist. The geometric and inertial parameters used in the model are determined by means of a CAD software. The performance of the spherical wrist is emphasized by means of several test trajectories. The effects of machining and/or cutting forces and the length of the cutting tool on the dynamic performance of the wrist are also analyzed. Finally, a preliminary selection of the motors is proposed from the velocities and torques required by the actuators to carry out the test trajectories

Kinematic calibration of Orthoglide-type mechanisms from observation of parallel leg motions

The paper proposes a new calibration method for parallel manipulators that allows efficient identification of the joint offsets using observations of the manipulator leg parallelism with respect to the base surface. The method employs a simple and low-cost measuring system, which evaluates deviation of the leg location during motions that are assumed to preserve the leg parallelism for the nominal values of the manipulator parameters. Using the measured deviations, the developed algorithm estimates the joint offsets that are treated as the most essential parameters to be identified. The validity of the proposed calibration method and efficiency of the developed numerical algorithms are confirmed by experimental results. The sensitivity of the measurement methods and the calibration accuracy are also studied

Kinematics, workspace and singularity analysis of a multi-mode parallel robot

A family of reconfigurable parallel robots can change motion modes by passing through constraint singularities by locking and releasing some passive joints of the robot. This paper is about the kinematics, the workspace and singularity analysis of a 3-PRPiR parallel robot involving lockable Pi and R (revolute) joints. Here a Pi joint may act as a 1-DOF planar parallelogram if its lock-able P (prismatic) joint is locked or a 2-DOF RR serial chain if its lockable P joint is released. The operation modes of the robot include a 3T operation modes to three 2T1R operation modes with two different directions of the rotation axis of the moving platform. The inverse kinematics and forward kinematics of the robot in each operation modes are dealt with in detail. The workspace analysis of the robot allow us to know the regions of the workspace that the robot can reach in each operation mode. A prototype built at Heriot-Watt University is used to illustrate the results of this work.Comment: International Design Engineering Technical Conferences \& Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, Aug 2017, Cleveland, United States. 201

Modeling and Experimental Validation of a Compliant Underactuated Parallel Kinematic Manipulator

© 1996-2012 IEEE. Parallel kinematic manipulators (PKMs) are increasingly used in a wide range of industrial applications due to the characteristics of high accuracy and compact structure. However, most of the existing PKMs are structured with heavy actuators and high stiffness. In this respect, this article proses a simple, yet effective, parallel manipulator that distinguishes itself through the following basis. First, underactuation: it employs only a single motor and a driving cable to actuate its three legs. Second, novel foot location: it uses a smart shape memory alloy clutch-based driving system (SCBDS), which catches/releases the driving cable, thus, making possible the robot underactuation. Finally, adjustable compliance: its double compliant joints on each limb with a stiffness-adjustable section, which renders a safe human-robotic interaction. To support and predict the performance of this underactuated compliant manipulator, a novel kinetostatic model was developed by considering the generalized internal loads (i.e., force and moment) in three compliant limbs and the external loads on the upper platform. Finally, based on the physical prototype, a set of experiments were conducted to validate the model proposed in this article. It was found that the proposed kinetostatic model can be validated with the average deviations of 1.8% in position and 2.8% in orientation, respectively. Furthermore, the workspace of the system (e.g., discrete and continuous workspace) was studied when different actuating strategies were employed, thus, emphasizing the advantages and the limitations of this novel system

An Overview of Kinematic and Calibration Models Using Internal/External Sensors or Constraints to Improve the Behavior of Spatial Parallel Mechanisms

This paper presents an overview of the literature on kinematic and calibration models of parallel mechanisms, the influence of sensors in the mechanism accuracy and parallel mechanisms used as sensors. The most relevant classifications to obtain and solve kinematic models and to identify geometric and non-geometric parameters in the calibration of parallel robots are discussed, examining the advantages and disadvantages of each method, presenting new trends and identifying unsolved problems. This overview tries to answer and show the solutions developed by the most up-to-date research to some of the most frequent questions that appear in the modelling of a parallel mechanism, such as how to measure, the number of sensors and necessary configurations, the type and influence of errors or the number of necessary parameters

Forward Kinematic Modelling with Radial Basis Function Neural Network Tuned with a Novel Meta-Heuristic Algorithm for Robotic Manipulators

The complexity of forward kinematic modelling increases with the increase in the degrees of freedom for a manipulator. To reduce the computational weight and time lag for desired output transformation, this paper proposes a forward kinematic model mapped with the help of the Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) architecture tuned by a novel meta-heuristic algorithm, namely, the Cooperative Search Optimisation Algorithm (CSOA). The architecture presented is able to automatically learn the kinematic properties of the manipulator. Learning is accomplished iteratively based only on the observation of the input–output relationship. Related simulations are carried out on a 3-Degrees of Freedom (DOF) manipulator on the Robot Operating System (ROS). The dataset created from the simulation is divided 65–35 for training–testing of the proposed model. The metrics used for model validation include spread value, cost and runtime for the training dataset, and Mean Relative Error, Normal Mean Square Error, and Mean Absolute Error for the testing dataset. A comparative analysis of the CSOA-RBFNN model is performed with an artificial neural network, support vector regression model, and with with other meta-heuristic RBFNN models, i.e., PSORBFNN and GWO-RBFNN, that show the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed technique.publishedVersio

On the design of multi-platform parallel mechanisms

Parallel mechanisms have been examined in more and more detail over the past two decades. Parallel mechanisms are essentially the same design layout, a base, multiple legs/limbs, and a moving platform with a single end-effector to allow the mechanism to complete its desired function. Recently, several research groups have begun looking into multiple-platform parallel mechanisms and/or multiple end-effectors for parallel mechanisms. The reason for the research in this new form of parallel mechanism stems from multiple sources, such as applications that would require multiple handling points being accessed simultaneously, a more controlled gripper motion by having the jaws of the gripper being attached at different platforms, or to increasing the workload of the mechanism. The aim of the thesis is to modify the design process of parallel mechanisms so that it will support the development of a new parallel mechanism with multiple platforms capable of moving relative to each other in at least 1-DOF and to analyse the improvements made on the traditional single platform mechanism through a comparison of the power requirements for each mechanism. Throughout the thesis, a modified approach to the type synthesis of a parallel mechanism with multiple moving platforms is proposed and used to create several case study mechanisms. Additionally, this thesis presents a new series of methods for determining the workspace, inverse kinematic and dynamic models, and the integration of these systems into the design of a control system. All methods are vetted through case studies where they are judged based on the results gained from existing published data. Lastly, the concepts in this thesis are combined to produce a physical multi-platform parallel mechanism case study with the process being developed at each stage. Finally, a series of proposed topics of future research are listed along with the limitations and contributions of this work

A method for extending planar axis-symmetric parallel manipulators to spatial mechanisms

This paper investigates axis-symmetric parallel manipulators, composed of a central base column and an arm system able to rotate around this column. The arm system includes several actuated upper arms, each connected to a manipulated platform by one or more lower arm linkages. Such manipulators feature an extensive positional workspace in relation to the manipulator footprint and equal manipulator properties in all radial half-planes defined by the common rotation-axis of the upper arms. The similarities between planar manipulators exclusively employing 2-degrees-of-freedom (2-DOF) lower arm linkages and lower mobility spatial manipulators only utilising 5-DOF lower arm linkages are analysed. The 2-DOF linkages are composed of a link with a 1-DOF hinge on both ends whilst the 5-DOF linkages utilise 3-DOF spherical joints and 2-DOF universal joints. By employing a proposed linkage substitution scheme, it is shown how a wide range of spatial axis-symmetric parallel manipulators can be derived from a limited range of planar manipulators of the same type