Title: A motion simulation method for reconfigurable machines

Authors: Fengfeng (Jeff) Xi, Qiang (John) Sun

Addresses: Department of Aerospace Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada. ' Department of Aerospace Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada

Abstract: In this paper, a new method is proposed for simulating the motions of reconfigurable machines. When a reconfigurable machine is reconfigured, the relative poses between adjacent modules must be redefined. Unlike the traditional modelling method that re-sets the local coordinate frames for each module relative to the preceding module, the proposed method is to define all the modules with respect to a single global coordinate frame. As such, machine modules can be readily linked through a graph-based topology platform to form an assembled reconfigurable machine and then to automatically generate the equations of motion.

Keywords: reconfigurable machines; simulation; modelling; animation; software; graph-based topology; equations of motion.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMR.2008.017417

International Journal of Manufacturing Research, 2008 Vol.3 No.2, pp.216 - 235

Published online: 06 Mar 2008 *

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