A Novel Three-Loop Parallel Robot With Full Mobility: Kinematics, Singularity, Workspace, and Dexterity Analysis

Abstract

A novel parallel robot, dubbed the SDelta, is the subject of this paper. SDelta is a simpler alternative to both the well-known Stewart–Gough platform (SGP) and current three-limb, full-mobility parallel robots, as it contains fewer components and all its motors are located on the base. This reduces the inertial load on the system, making it a good candidate for high-speed operations. SDelta features a symmetric structure; its forward-displacement analysis leads to a system of three quadratic equations in three unknowns, which admits up to eight solutions, or half the number of those admitted by the SGP. The kinematic analysis, undertaken with a geometrical method based on screw theory, leads to two Jacobian matrices, whose singularity conditions are investigated. Instead of using the determinant of a 6 × 6 matrix, we derive one simple expression that characterizes the singularity condition. This approach is also applicable to a large number of parallel robots whose six actuation wrench axes intersect pairwise, such as all three-limb parallel robots whose limbs include, each, a passive spherical joint. The workspace is analyzed via a geometric method, while the dexterity analysis is conducted via discretization. Both show that the given robot has the potential to offer both large workspace and good dexterity with a proper choice of design variables.