Robot Mechanism

• a robot's mechanism is an assembly of

elementary rigid bodies, called links, which are
connected through entities called joints.
 Robot Mechanism

A link is a rigid body with at least one particular

point, called a node, which supports the
attachment of other link(s).
 Robot Mechanism
According to the number of nodes each link
possesses, we can divide the links into these
common categories:
 Robot Mechanism
Unary Link:
This refers to a link with a single node. The tip
unit (i.e.tip link) of a finger assembly is also a
typical unary link.
Binary Link:
This refers to a link with two nodes. The robot's
arm manipulators, legs, and fingers are
composed of serially-connected binary links.
 Robot Mechanism
Ternary Link:
This refers to a link with three nodes. A typical
example is the hip of the humanoid robot. One
of the nodes in the hip link supports the
connection to the upper body of the humanoid
robot, while the other two nodes connect to the
assemblies of the two legs in the humanoid
robot.
 Robot Mechanism
Quaternary Link:
This refers to a link with four nodes. A typical
example is the upper body of the humanoid
robot. The node on the top is connected to the
head/neck assembly of the humanoid robot.
The node at the bottom is connected to the hip
assembly. The remaining two nodes, at the left
and right, support the attachment of the
assemblies of the left and right arms.
Robot Mechanism
 Robot Mechanism
Figure shows a conceptual design of a multiple-fingered-hand.
Notice one link with 6 nodes (the palm link), five unary links, and
ten binary links (i.e. two links per finger with the first binary link
of the thumb in the shape of a cross-cylinder).
A close-up view of the conceptual design of a multiple-fingered
hand.
 Robot Mechanism
Joints
A joint is the connection between two or more links at their
nodes. It constrains the motions of the connected links.
 Robot Mechanism
The common approach to arranging degrees of freedom is to
form an ordered sequence of links connected in a series through
the joints. This type of mechanism is called a kinematic chain.

Kinematic Chains
A kinematic chain is an assembly of links connected in a
series through joints, the output motion of which at any chosen
point, only depends on the motion parameters of the joints.
A kinematic chain is said to be open if there is no joint
connecting the first and last links inside the chain. Otherwise, it
is called a closed kinematic-chain.
 Robot Mechanism

The term degrees-of-freedom (DOF) as applied to a

robot indicates the number of its axes, an
important indicator of a robot’s capability. Limited
sequence robots typically have only two or three
axes while unlimited sequence robots typically have
five or six axes because they are intended to
perform more complex tasks. However, the basic
robot manipulator arm might have only three axes:
arm sweep (base rotation), shoulder swivel (reach),
and elbow extension (elevation), but a wrist can
provide as many as three additional axes—pitch,
roll, and yaw
Industrial Robot
 6 DOF Industrial Robot

The heavy-duty, floor-standing robot shown in Fig. 1 has

six principal axes, each driven by an electric motor. The
console contains a digital computer that has been
programmed with an operating system and applications
software so that it can perform the robot’s assigned
tasks. The operator or programmer can control the
movements of the robot arm or manipulator with push
buttons on the control console so that it can be run
manually through its complete program sequence. During
programming, adjustments can be made in the program
to prevent any part of the robot from colliding with
nearby objects.
 Industrial Robot Geometry

There are four principal stationary robot

geometries: (1) articulated, revolute, or jointed
arm; (2) polar-coordinate or gun turret; (3)
Cartesian; and (4) cylindrical. A low-shoulder
articulated robot is shown in Fig. 2 and a high-
shoulder articulated robot is shown in Fig. 3.The
articulated robot geometry is the most
commonly used configuration today for floor-
standing industrial
Industrial Robot Geometry
 Industrial Robot Geometry
A high-shoulder articulated robot is shown in Fig. 3.The articulated
robot geometry is the most commonly used configuration today for floor-
standing industrial robots, but there are many variations.
 Industrial Robot Geometry
The polar-coordinate geometry robot is illustrated in Fig. 4.
 Industrial Robot Geometry
The Cartesian-coordinate geometry robot is illustrated in Fig. 5
 Industrial Robot Geometry
The cylindrical-coordinate geometry robot is illustrated in Fig. 6.
 Industrial Robot Geometry
Among the variations of these basic designs is the vertically jointed geometry
robot shown in Fig. 7.
 Industrial Robot Geometry
A robot’s wrist at the end of the robot’s arm serves as a
mounting plate for end effectors or tools. There are two
common designs for robot wrists: two-degree-of-freedom
(2DOF) and three-degree-of-freedom (3DOF). An example of a
2DOF wrist is shown in Fig. 8; it is permits roll around the arm
axis and pitch around an axis at right angles to the arm axis.
Another version of a 2DOF wrist, illustrated in Fig. 9, has the
capability of a second independent roll around the arm axis in
addition to the pitch around an axis at right angles to the arm
axis. A 3DOF wrist is shown in Fig. 10; in addition to roll and pitch
it offers yaw around a third axis perpendicular to both the pitch
and roll axes. More degrees-of-freedom can be added by
installing end effectors or tools that can move around axes
independent of the wrist.
Industrial Robot Geometry
Industrial Robot Geometry
Industrial Robot Geometry
Industrial Robot Geometry
Industrial Robot Geometry
Industrial Robot Geometry
 MECHANISM FOR PLANAR MANIPULATION
WITH SIMPLIFIED KINEMATICS
-Simple combinations of actuator motions
yield purely radial or purely tangential end-
effector motions.
MECHANISM FOR PLANAR MANIPULATION
WITH SIMPLIFIED KINEMATICS
ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEM OF ROBOTS

The pure mechanical aspect of a robot is its underlying

mechanism and structure. The study of the relationship
between the input and output motions of a robot's
mechanism is fully covered by kinematic analysis. From a
systems point of view, it is logical to study the robot
mechanism together with its kinematic analysis.
On the other hand, a robot is a machine which
executes motion, as the result of energy consumption. Thus, it
is indispensable to study the relationship between motion and
the force/torque applied to a robot's mechanism.
Naturally, it is also logical to study the actuation
elements together with a robot's dynamic and static analysis.
ELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEM OF ROBOTS

In this topic, we consider the case in which a

robot's mechanical energy is obtained from
electrical energy, because of the use of electric
actuators. Accordingly, we will first study the
concept of energy and the fundamentals underlying
energy conversion from the electrical domain to the
mechanical domain (i.e. electric actuators). Then,
we will present, in detail, the mathematical
principles for the establishment of equations of
motion. A discussion about robot statics will come
first before we move on to studying robot
dynamics.
 Origin of Rigid Body’s Motion

We all know that energy cannot be created

nor destroyed. It can only be transformed from one
form into another. For example, the internal
combustion engine converts chemical energy into
mechanical energy, in order to drive a car, while a
portion of the chemical energy is wasted in the
form of thermal energy. Another example is the
rechargeable battery, which converts energy from
the electrical domain to the electrochemical
domain and vice-versa. In fact, any substance is an
embodiment of energy. This is concisely described
by the Einstein's famous equation E = mc2.
 Origin of Rigid Body’s Motion

We can see that there are many

components and devices in addition to the robot
mechanism. Clearly, a robot's mechanism must
be complemented with the extra actuation
elements. In order to better understand this
issue in robotics, it is important to study the
origin of a rigid body's motion.
 Energy Conservation in a System
Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. It
can only be converted from one domain into
another. This principle of energy conservation is
also applicable to a system. As any substance is
an embodiment of energy, a system can be
treated as an energy storage device. Thus, at a
time instant, a system has its own energy state,
which corresponds to the amount of energy
contained in the system. For convenience, we
call the energy stored inside a system the
internal energy.
 Energy Conservation in a System
Then, the principle of energy conservation
can be stated as: The change of internal energy
inside a system is equal to the sum of the energy
added to the system (denoted by Ein), the
energy removed from the system (denoted by
Eout) and the energy dissipated from the system
(denoted by Edis). In other words, the following
equality holds:
 Energy Conservation in a System
FORCES
In robotics, an important concern is mechanical
energy, and how to relate mechanical energy to
motions. Mechanical energy is normally
manifested in the form of force or torque. The
nature of force is well described by Newton's
second law. Before we briefly introduce this law,
it is useful to examine the particle and its linear
momentum.
A force is the effect of one body acting upon
another body.
 Energy Conservation in a System
A particle is a body without a physical
dimension. The entire mass of the body is
concentrated at a single point.
If we denote m the mass of a particle and v(t) its
linear velocity vector with respect to a reference
frame, then the linear momentum of the
particle is defined as follows:
The linear momentum of a particle is the
product of its mass and its linear velocity, that is,
p(t) = mv(t).
 Energy Conservation in a System
TORQUES
The angular momentum of a particle moving along a circular
path is equal to its mass times its angular velocity, that is,
 Dynamic Pairs and Chains
We use the term dynamic pair to define any pair of rigid
bodies which exerts force or torque upon each other.
Inside a dynamic pair, the body delivering the force, or
torque, is called the acting body, while the one receiving
the force or torque is logically called the reacting body. In
practice, the acting
body of a dynamic pair can exert multiple forces upon the
reacting body.
In robotics, we only consider the case where there is just
one force or torque delivered by the acting body. Since a
force can be a contact force or a field force, the dynamic
pair's acting body will deliver either a contact force or a
field force on the reacting body.
 Dynamic Pairs and Chains
A dynamic chain is a set of rigid bodies arranged in a
series which mutually exert forces, or torques, on each
other within a consecutive pair.
A dynamic chain is said to be open if there is no
direct coupling of force or torque between the first and
last bodies in the chain. Otherwise, it is called a closed
dynamic chain.
When dealing with robot dynamics, all forces in a
dynamic chain are expressed by default with respect to
the same reference frame (e.g. frame 0 of the base link in
an open kinematic-chain). When we are not using the
superscript, that implicitly indicates the reference frame.
 Dynamic Pairs and Chains
Illustration of a dynamic pair: a) the acting body
delivering a contact force, and b) the acting body
delivering a field force.
 Dynamic Pairs and Chains
Example of an open dynamic chain: a) an open kinematic-
chain, and b) the corresponding open dynamic chain
formed by the three rigid bodies with mutually acting
and reacting forces/torques.
 Actuation Elements
The purpose of a robot's mechanism is to shape the output motion,
which is a function of the input motions of the robot's mechanism.
In general, a robot's mechanism may include many kinematic
chains.
As the motion originates from the addition or removal of
energy, a robot's mechanism cannot produce any motion on its
own. It is necessary to add extra elements to a robot's mechanism
so that the motion can be generated in a controllable manner.
We know that a robot's mechanism can be treated as a set
of kinematic pairs. Each kinematic pair determines the type of
motion (prismatic or revolute) between its two links. A simple way
to create controllable motion for a kinematic pair is to couple a
dynamic pair to it, as the two bodies in a dynamic pair can exert
force or torque upon each other.
 Actuation Elements
The coupling of a dynamic pair with a kinematic pair in a robot's
mechanical system.