Title: Kinematics and optimal design of a novel 3-DoF parallel manipulator for pick-and-place applications

Authors: Bin Liao; Yunjiang Lou; Zexiang Li

Addresses: Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen Graduate School; Shenzhen Key Lab for Advanced Motion Control and Modern Automation Equipments, HIT Campus, Shenzhen University Town, Xili, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518055, China ' Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen Graduate School; Shenzhen Key Lab for Advanced Motion Control and Modern Automation Equipments, HIT Campus, Shenzhen University Town, Xili, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518055, China ' Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China; DG-HUST Manufacturing Engineering Institute, No. 1, 9th Sci-Tech Avenue, Song Shan Lake National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, Dongguan, 523808, China

Abstract: In this paper, a novel 3-degree-of-freedom planar parallel manipulator, the V3 robot, is introduced. The manipulator consists of three RRR (R: revolute joint) subchains, which are respectively arranged in three-parallel planes. The three-actuated joints are designed to have a common rotation axis, which contributes the large workspace and unlimited rotational capability of the robot. The kinematics, including the loop-closure equations, the inverse kinematics, singularity, and workspace are briefly analysed. By directly considering the velocity and the accuracy indices for pick and place operations, the optimal design problem is formulated to maximise the good performance workspace, where lower bounds on the average extreme velocity and upper bounds on the average extreme error are applied as constraints. The optimal design shows greatly improved performance in workspace, velocity, and accuracy.

Keywords: parallel manipulators; parallel robots; robot kinematics; optimal design; pick-and-place; manipulator design; robot design; workspace; velocity; accuracy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMA.2013.055614

International Journal of Mechatronics and Automation, 2013 Vol.3 No.3, pp.181 - 190

Received: 17 Sep 2012
Accepted: 05 Feb 2013
Published online: 30 Apr 2014 *

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