Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T21:16:08.610Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Design of a compact statically balanced direct-drive manipulator

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2009

Tarek M. Abdel-Rahman
Affiliation:
College of Engineering, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar, Arabian Gulf
M.A. Elbestawi
Affiliation:
Department of Mechancial Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada), L8S 4L7

Summary

This paper addresses the conceptual design of direct-drive manipulators which have good promise for high speed, high precision manipulation. In the design methodology presented, the procedure begins by considering the kinematic aspects and ends by configuring manipulator structures with promising kinematic and dynamic characteristics. Based on the conceptual design considerations, a novel 3 DOF (RRR) direct-drive manipulator is proposed and analyzed. The manipulator structure has only five links and a compact configuration. Manipulator kinematics and dynamics are analyzed. Design guidelines are derived for static balancing of the manipulator and for minimizing the inertias driven by the motors. Operational configurations that either improve or worsen the kinematic and dynamic behaviour or characteristics of the manipulator are identified. The proposed design has an advantage over many currently known direct-drive manipulators for achieving two desirable mechanical features, namely: static balancing and compactness (smaller driven inertias).

Type
R&D Profile Section
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Asada, H. and Kanade, T., “Design Concept of Direct-Drive Manipulators Using Rare-Earth DC Torque Motors” 11th Int. Sympt. on Industrial Robots (1981).Google Scholar
2.Asada, H. and Kanade, T., “Design of Direct-Drive Mechanical ArmsASME Journal of Vibration Acoustics, Stress and Reliability in Design, 105, No. 3, 312316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Youcef-Toumi, K., “Design and Control of Direct-Drive Robots-a SurveyThe Robotics Review 1, 283302 (1989).Google Scholar
4.Asada, H. and Youcef-Toumi, K., Direct-Drive Robots: Theory and Practice (the MIT Press, Boston, Mass., 1987).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Rivin, E.I., Mechanical Design of Robots (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1988).Google Scholar
6.Kazerooni, H., “Statically-Balanced Direct Drive ManipulatorRobotica 7, 145149 (1989).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Kazerooni, H., “Design and Control of a Statically Balanced Direct Drive Manipulator” Proceedings of the USA-Japan Symposium on Flexible Automation (1988) pp. 449455.Google Scholar
8.Abdel-Rahman, T.M. and Elbestawi, M.A., “Synthesis and Dynamics of Statically-Balanced Direct-Drive Manipulators with Decoupled Inertia Tensors” (Submitted to Mechanism and Machine Theory Journal).Google Scholar
9.Stoughton, R. and Kokkinis, T., “A New 3-DOF Mechanism for Quasi-Direct-Drive Robot Manipulators”, Proceedings of the 1987 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation822827 (1987).Google Scholar
10.Spong, M.W. and Vidyasagar, M., Robot Dynamics and Control (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1989).Google Scholar
11.Asada, H. and Slotine, J.J., Robot Analysis and Control (Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1986).Google Scholar