Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

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Mechanism and Machine Theory

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/mechmt

A new six degree-of-freedom parallel robot with three limbs for

high-speed operations
Zhaoran Meng a, b, Wen-ao Cao a, b, *, Huafeng Ding a, b, Ziming Chen a, c
a
Hubei Intelligent Geological Equipment Engineering Technology Research Center, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), 430074, Wuhan,
China
b
School of Mechanical Engineering and Electronic Information, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), 430074, Wuhan, China
c
School of Mechanical Engineering, Parallel Robot and Mechatronic System Laboratory of Hebei Province, Yanshan University, 066004,
Qinhuangdao, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This paper presents a novel six degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) parallel robot with only three identical
Six-DOF parallel robot limbs for high-speed operations. First, displacement analysis of the new parallel robot is per­
Kinematics formed, in which the closed-form forward displacement model can be obtained through a rela­
Workspace
tively concise derivation. Then, velocity and acceleration models of the new parallel robot are
High-speed operations
established, and a typical numerical example is used to illustrate the correctness of the derived
kinematic model. Further, singularities of the new 6-DOF parallel robot are identified based on
screw theory. At last, the workspace of the new parallel robot is quantitatively analyzed.
Compared with the most classic 6-DOF counterpart (Hexa robot) for high-speed operations in
existence, the proposed new parallel robot has a simpler forward displacement model, and has
larger position workspace and higher rotation ability. With these characteristics, the new parallel
robot has a good application prospect in high-speed assembly and spatial pick-and-place.

1. Introduction

The research on parallel robots can date back to Gough’s tire testing machine [1] and Stewart’s motion simulator in 1960s [2]. For
the past several decades, strong interest has been attracted in mobility analysis [3–5], type synthesis [6–8], kinematics [9–12], dy­
namics [13–15], and stiffness modeling [16–18] of parallel robots, which have advantages of high stiffness, high bearing capacity, low
inertia and high accuracy [19]. Many parallel robots have been successfully applied to perform different tasks, such as positioning
[20–22], machining [23–25], pick-and-place [26–28], medicine [29–31] and assembly [32–34]. Structures designing is one of the
most important stages in the process of a new robot designing [35, 36]. Especially, Clavel [37] invented the well-known 3 DOF Delta
parallel robot for planar high-speed pick-and-place, which is one of the most successful application examples of parallel robots [26, 38,
39]. Later, a lot of variant Delta robots with 4-DOFs have been developed [40, 41] by adding a rotation around the normal of the
horizontal plane. For the spatial high-speed disorder pick-and-place and complex electronic assembly, the like-Delta parallel robots
with 6-DOFs are expected to develop.
In the existing literatures, 6-DOF parallel robots can be divided into two categories. One is six-limb 6-DOF parallel robots, such as 6-
UPS [42], 6-PUS [43], and 6-RUS [44] (here U, P, R and S represent a prismatic joint, a universal joint, a revolute joint and a spherical

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: cwao1986@163.com (W.-a. Cao).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2022.104875
Received 16 December 2021; Received in revised form 2 April 2022; Accepted 2 April 2022
Available online 15 April 2022
0094-114X/© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Fig. 1. The new parallel robot: (a) the three-dimensional model, and (b) the structure of the i th limb.

joint, respectively). The other is three-limb 6-DOF parallel robots, such as 3-RPSR [45], 3-RRRS [46], 3-R[RRRR]S [47, 48] and 3-[R
(RR-RRR)SR] [49]. In those parallel robots, only 6-RUS parallel robot (called the Hexa robot as well [50]) is the most suitable for
high-speed disorder pick-and-place and complicated electronic assembly [51]. That is because the Hexa robot has like-Delta low inertia
structure with all rotary actuators mounted on the fixed base.
However, the Hexa robot has two main disadvantages. On the one hand, the Hexa robot suffers from relatively small position
workspace and low rotation ability because 6 limbs and 6 S joints of the robot may bring too much limb interferences and rotational
angle limitations [10]. To obtain large workspace, component dimensions of the Hexa robot must be enlarged, which lead to high costs
and large amplified errors. On the other hand, it is very difficult to obtain the closed-form forward displacement of the Hexa robot since
it involves too many nonlinear equations. If a parallel robot has a simple closed-form forward displacement model, it is very convenient
to design robot learning from demonstration (LfD), which is a type of approach enabling the robot learning the policy from examples or
demonstrations provided by users, so that the users can control the robot without any professional background of mechanical engi­
neering [52].
In this paper, a novel 6-DOF parallel robot is proposed, which has only three limbs with new structure. Under the same dimensions,
compared with the 6-limb Hexa robot, the new parallel robot has the following advantages and disadvantages:

(1) The new 6-DOF parallel robot has a simpler closed-form forward displacement model. That is because the new robot is cor­
responding to the simplest forward displacement model of Stewart platform mechanisms [53], according to the method pro­
posed by Liang [54].
(2) The new 6-DOF parallel robot has a lager position workspace than the traditional Hexa robot, which is because that the new 6-
DOF parallel robot has fewer limb interference and rotational angle limitations.
(3) Based on the same reasons, the new 6-DOF parallel robot has higher rotation ability than the traditional Hexa robot.
(4) When solving the inverse displacement model of the new 6-DOF parallel robot, it is needed to introduce an intermediate
variable for each limb, which will add a little complexity to the modeling process. However, it is not necessary to introduce any
intermediate variable for inverse displacement analysis of the traditional Hexa robot.

Moreover, compared with the 3-limb 6-DOF parallel robots, such as the two typical parallel robots presented in References [47, 48]
and Reference [49], the new 6-DOF parallel robot has the following advantages:

(1) The new 6-DOF parallel robot possesses a better rotational ability than the parallel robot in References [47, 48], which can be
verified by comparing Fig. 11 in Reference [47] with Figs. 14 and 15 in this paper.
(2) The new 6-DOF has a smaller moving inertia and is more suitable for high-speed operations than the parallel robots in Ref­
erences [47, 48] and Reference [49]. That is because that the actuators of the new parallel robot are all fixed on its base platform
rather than the actuators of the two parallel robots are attached to its moving links.
(3) The new 6-DOF parallel robot has a simpler kinematic model and is easier to control than the parallel robot in Reference [49].
That is because that the new parallel robot is a non-redundant robot, but the parallel robot in Reference [49] is a kinematically
redundant parallel robot with nine actuators.

The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, the kinematic structure of the new robot is introduced, and its
inverse and forward displacement model are derived. In Section 3, the velocity model and acceleration model of the new robot are
presented, and a typical numerical example is presented to verify the correctness of the kinematic model. In Section 4, singularities of

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Fig. 2. Joint angles of the new parallel robot: (a) actuation angles θi1, θi2, and (b) joint angle θi6.

the new robot are analyzed. In Section 5, the workspace of the 6-DOF parallel robot is analyzed. Finally, some conclusions of this work
are drawn in Section 6.

2. Displacement analysis of the new 6-DOF parallel robot

The three-dimensional model of the new 6-DOF parallel robot is shown in Fig. 1(a), which is composed of a moving platform, a base
platform and three identical limbs. Limb i has a structure with Ri1[Ri2Ri3Ri4Ri5]Ri6Si, in which Rij represents the j-th revolute joint of the
i th limb, [Ri1Ri3Ri4Ri5] represents that the four R joints of the i th limb determine a parallelogram linkage, and Si represents a spherical
joint of the i th limb, shown in Fig. 1(b). In the robot, Ri1 is collinear with Ri2, and is perpendicular to Ri6. Since the parallelogram
linkage determined by Ri2, Ri3, Ri4 and Ri5 can be equivalent to a P joint, limb i is equivalent to a Ri1PiRi6Si limb with 6-DOFs. Based on
screw theory [55], each limb cannot provide any constraint to the moving platform, so the new robot has 6-DOFs. Besides, based on the
principle of actuation joints of parallel robots [55], Ri1 and Ri2 of each limb can be chosen as actuation joints.

2.1. Inverse displacement analysis

Shown in Fig. 1, a fixed frame b: O-xbybzb can be attached to the geometrical center O of the base platform, with xb axis pointing to
point B1, zb axis perpendicular to the base platform, and yb determined by the right-hand rule. A moving frame p: P- xPyPzP, can be
attached to the geometrical center P of the moving platform, with xP axis pointing to point G1, zP axis perpendicular to the moving
platform, and yP determined by the right-hand rule.
The orientation of the moving platform can be represented by the ZYZ Euler angle method, which means the moving platform
rotating about its z axis by α angle firstly, then rotating about its y axis by β angle, finally, rotating about its z axis by γ angle. The
corresponding rotation matrix is
⎛ ⎞
cαsβcγ − sαsγ − cαcβsγ − sαcγ cαsβ
⎜ ⎟
b
P R = RzP (α)RyP (β)RzP (γ) = ⎝ sαcβcγ + cαsγ − sαcβsγ + cαcγ sαsβ ⎠ (1)
− sβcγ sβsγ cβ

where c# and s# represent cos(#) and sin(#), respectively. The position of the moving platform can be expressed as

rP = ( xP yP zP )T (2)

where xP, yP, and zP represent x, y and z components of the vector, respectively, and the superscript T represents the transpose
operation.
The aim of the inverse displacement analysis is to determine joint angles θi1 and θi2 of actuation joints Ri1 and Ri2, for given xP, yP,
zP, α, β and γ. Three local coordinate frames i: Ai-xiyizi (i = 1, 2 and 3) can be built, which are attached to point Ai, with xi axis pointing
from points O to Ai, zi axis perpendicular to the base platform, and yi axis determined by the right-hand rule, shown in Fig. 2(a).
With respect to the fixed frame O-xbybzb, the position of point Ai can be expressed as

r Ai = ( a i bi 0 )T (3)

and the orientation matrix of the local frame i is described as

⎛ ⎞
cos((2i − 2)π/3) sin((2i − 2)π/3) 0
⎜ ⎟
0
i R = ⎝ − sin((2i − 2)π /3) cos((2i − 2)π/3) 0 ⎠ (4)
0 0 1

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Fig. 3. Geometry of the forward displacement analysis.

With respect to frame i, direction vectors of some links of limb i can be expressed as
⎛ ⎞ ⎛ ⎞ ⎛ ⎞
cosθi1 cosθi2 − cosθi6 cosθi1
⎜ ⎟i ⎜ ⎟i ⎜ ⎟
i
uAi Bi = − i uCi Ei = − i uDi Ei = ⎜ ⎟ i ⎜ ⎟ ⎜
⎝ 0 ⎠; uBi Ci = uAi Di = ⎝ 0 ⎠; uEi Fi = ⎝ sinθi6 ⎟
⎠ (5)
sinθi1 − sinθi2 − cosθi6 sinθi1

where iuXiYi represents the direction vector of link XiYi with respect to frame i, θi1 represents the angle between the base plane and link
AiBi, θi2 represents the angle between the base plane and link AiDi, and θi6 represents the angle between link EiFi and the plane of the
parallelogram linkage, shown in Fig. 2(b).
With respect to frame i, the positions of points Ei and Fi can be expressed as
{i
rEi = LAD i uAi Di + LDE i uCi Ei
(6)
i
rFi =i rEi + LEF i uEi Fi

whereLXY represents the length of link XiYi.

Expressing the positions of points Ei and Fi described in Eq. (6) in the fixed frame O-xbybzb, yields
{
rEi = rAi + LAD uAi Di + LDE uDi Ei
(7)
rFi = rEi + LEF uEi Fi

where

uAi Bi = − uCi Ei = 0i Ri uAi Bi ; uAi Di = uBi Ci = 0i Ri uAi Di ; uEi Fi = 0i Ri uEi Fi (8)

With respect to frame P-xPyPzP, the position of point Fi can be also expressed as
p
rPFi = ( di ei fi )T (9)

With respect to the fixed frame O-xbybzb, the position of point Fi can be expressed as

rFi = rP + rPFi = rP +bp Rp rPFi (10)

A closed loop vector equation can be set up,

rP + rPFi = rAi + LAD uAi Di + LDE uDi Ei + LEF uEi Fi (11)
From Eq. (11), θi6 can be directly solved,
( )
y − 0i ROp Rp rPFi
θi6 = arcsin (12)
LEF

Further, θi1 and θi2 can be also solved from Eq. (11), and the complete expressions of them are presented in the Appendix.

2.2. Forward displacement model

The forward displacement model is to determine xP, yP, zP, α, β and γ for given six actuation angles. As show in Fig. 3, when the 6
actuator angles are given, the positions of points E1, E2 and E3 can be directly determined.

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

From Eq. (7), the position of point Fi can be expressed as

⎛ ⎞ ⎛ ⎞
XF i − cosθi1 cosθi6
⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟
r Fi = ⎜ ⎟ ⎜
⎝ YFi ⎠ = LEF ⎝ sinθi6 ⎟ + rEi
⎠ (13)
ZFi − sinθi1 cosθi6

where XFi, YFi and ZFi represents three position components of point Fi.
Since the distance between any two points among F1, F2 and F3 is equal to a constant, denoted as l, the following three constraint
equations can be established as
⎧ 2 2
⎪
⎨ ((XF1 − XF2)) + ((YF1 − YF2 )) + (Z − ZF2 )2 = l2
( F1 )2
(14)
2 2
XF1 − XF3 + YF1 − YF3 + ZF1 − ZF3 = l2
⎪
⎩ ( )2 ( ) 2 ( )2
XF3 − XF2 + YF3 − YF2 + ZF3 − ZF2 = l2

Then, set

2xi6 1 − x2i6
sinθi6 = 2
, cosθi6 = (15)
1 + xi6 1 + x2i6

where xi6=tan(θi6/2). Substituting Eqs. (13) and (15) into Eq. (14), yields
⎧( ) 2 ( ) ( )
⎪ 2 2 2
⎨ ( Δ11 x16 + Δ12 x16 + Δ13 )x26 + ( Δ14 x16 + Δ15 x16 + Δ16 )x26 + ( Δ17 x16 + Δ18 x16 + Δ19 ) = 0
⎪
Δ21 x216 + Δ22 x16 + Δ23 x36
2 2
+ Δ24 x16 + Δ25 x16 + Δ26 x36 + Δ27 x16 2
+ Δ28 x16 + Δ29 = 0 (16)
⎪
⎪ ( ) ( ) ( )
⎩ Δ31 x2 + Δ32 x26 + Δ33 x2 + Δ34 x2 + Δ35 x26 + Δ36 x36 + Δ37 x2 + Δ38 x26 + Δ39 = 0
26 36 26 26

where Δij are coefficients determined by the knowns.

Eq. (16) can be simplified as the following three equations

a1 x226 + b1 x26 + c1 = 0 (17)

a2 x236 + b2 x36 + c2 = 0 (18)

and

a3 x236 + b3 x36 + c3 = 0 (19)

where ai, bi and ci are functions of x16.

From Eqs. (17), (18) and (19), x36 can be directly solved as
− (a2 c3 − a3 c2 )
x36 = (20)
(a2 b3 − a3 c2 )
Eliminating x236 through Eqs.(18), and (19), yields

(a2 c3 − a3 c2 )2 − (a2 b3 − a3 b2 )(b2 c3 − b3 c2 ) = 0 (21)

and Eq. (21) can be written as a 5th degree polynomial in x26

k1 x426 + k2 x326 + k3 x226 + k4 x26 + k5 = 0 (22)

where ki are the functions of x16.

Then, four new equations can be obtained by multiplying Eq. (22) by x 16, and multiplying Eq. (17) by x26, x226 and x326, respec­
tively. These four equations together with Eqs. (17) and (22) form a system of 6 linearly independent equations in six variables, x26,x226,
x326,x426,x526 and 1. Then, the following model can be obtained,
Kσ = 0 (23)

where

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

⎛ ⎞
0 k1 k2 k3 k4 k5
⎜k k2 k3 k4 k5 0⎟
⎜ 1 ⎟
⎜ ⎟
⎜ a1 b1 c1 0 0 0⎟ ( )T
K=⎜
⎜0
⎟; σ = x5 x426 3
x26 2
x26 x26 1 (24)
⎜ a1 b1 c1 0 0⎟ ⎟
26
⎜ ⎟
⎝0 0 a1 b1 c1 0⎠
0 0 0 a1 b1 c1
[ ]T
Because of x526 x426 x326 x226 x26 1 = 0, the compatibility condition for nontrivial solutions to exist is that the determinant
∕
of K must be singular, namely,
⃒ ⃒
⃒ 0 k1 k2 k3 k4 k5 ⃒
⃒ ⃒
⃒ k1 k2 k3 k4 k5 0 ⃒
⃒ ⃒
⃒ a1 b1 c1 0 0 0 ⃒
⃒
⃒ 0 a1 b1 c1 0 0 ⃒ = 0
⃒ (25)
⃒ ⃒
⃒ 0 0 a1 b1 c1 0 ⃒
⃒ ⃒
⃒ 0 0 0 a1 b1 c1 ⃒

Expanding Eq. (25) results in a 16th degree polynomial in x16, and then x16 can be solved. Further, once x16 is known, x26 can be
found by solving Eq. (23)
η1
x26 = (26)
η2

where
⃒ ⃒ ⃒ ⃒
⃒0 k1 k2 k3 − k5 ⃒⃒ ⃒0 k1 k2 k3 k4 ⃒⃒
⃒ ⃒
⃒ k1 k2 k3 k4 0 ⃒ ⃒ ⃒ k1 k2 k3 k4 k5 ⃒⃒
⃒ ⃒
η1 = ⃒⃒ a1 b1 c1 0 0 ⃒⃒, η2 = ⃒⃒ a1 b1 c1 0 0 ⃒⃒ (27)
⃒0 a1 b1 c1 0 ⃒⃒ ⃒0 a1 b1 c1 0 ⃒⃒
⃒ ⃒
⃒0 0 a1 b1 0 ⃒ ⃒0 0 a1 b1 c1 ⃒

Then
θi6 = 2arctan(xi6 ) (28)
As shown in Fig. 3, with respect to the fixed frame O-xbybzb, the position of point Q of the plane determined points F1, F2 and F3 can
be represented as
1
rQ = (rF 1 + rF 2 + rF 3 ) (29)
3
The direction vector of axis xQ can be represented as
rF 1 − rQ
uxQ = (30)
LF1 Q
Because axis zQ is the normal of the plane determined by points F1, F2 and F3, its direction can be derived as
( )
(rF − rF1 ) × rF3 − rF1
uzQ = 2 (31)
l2 sin π3

The direction vector of axis yQ can be derived as

uyQ = uxQ × uzQ (32)

[uxQ, uuQ, uzQ] are an orthonormal basis of frame P, thus,

[ ]
uxQ uyQ uzQ =bP R (33)

Combining Eq. (1) with Eqs. (30), (31), (32) and (33), yields
⎛ ⎞
cαsβcγ − sαsγ − cαcβsγ − sαcγ cαsβ
( ) ⎜ ⎟
uxQ uyQ uzQ = ⎜ ⎝ sαcβcγ + cαsγ − sαcβsγ + cαcγ sαsβ ⎠
⎟ (34)
− sβcγ sβsγ cβ

Then, three Euler angles α, β and γ can be easily solved from Eq. (34).
At last, the position of the moving platform can be solved by

rP = ( xP yP zP )T = rQ + LFG uzQ (35)

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Table 1
The roots x 16 (rad) of the 16th degree polynomial.
0.00006 0.263–0.316i − 0.264–0.316i 0.474i 0.402+0.621i − 0.402+0.621i 1.535i 3.202i

− 0.00006 0.263+0.316i − 0.264+0.316i − 0.474i 0.402–0.621i − 0.402–0.621i − 1.535i − 3.202i

To make the solving process of the forward kinematic model easier to understand, an example of the forward kinematic model is
given, let the main dimension parameters be: LOA=290 mm, LAB=90 mm, LBC=300 mm, LDE=40 mm, LEF=640 mm, LFG=68 mm, and
LPG=105 mm, and let the actuation angles be: θ11=0.907 rad, θ12=0.316 rad, θ21=0.860 rad, θ22=0.393 rad, θ31=0.747 rad, and
θ32=0.590 rad. By substituting these parameters into Eq. (25), the roots x 16 (rad) of the 16th polynomial are shown in Table 1.
There are 2 real roots and 14 virtual roots. Substituting the 2 real roots into Eq. (28), yields θ16= 0.0001 rad or − 0.0001 rad. Then,
based on Eqs. (20) and (26), when θ16= 0.0001 rad, yielding x 26= − 0.135 rad and x 36= 0.135 rad, so based on Eq. (28), θ26= 0.0269
rad and θ36= 0.0269 rad, when θ16= − 0.0001 rad, θ26= 0.0269 rad and θ36= − 0.0269 rad. These two group solutions can be checked
by back substituting into Eq. (7), yielding that when θ16= − 0.0001 rad, θ26= 0.0269 rad and θ36= − 0.0269 rad, the three robs EiFi,
interfere with each other, and when θ16= − 0.0001 rad, θ26= 0.0269 rad and θ36= − 0.0269 rad, the three robs do not interfere with
each other, and the geometrical center of the moving platform is at rP=(20, 0, − 800)T, and the three Euler angles α, β and γ are all equal
to 0. Therefore, for this example, the suitable solutions of the forward kinematic model are θ16= − 0.007 deg, θ26= 1.54 deg and θ36=
− 1.54 deg.
In order to obtain the closed-form forward displacement model, the new parallel robot needs to establish only 3 nonlinear limb
constraint equations, shown in Eq. (14), and only 2 variables need to be eliminated. However, the classic Hexa robot needs to establish
6 nonlinear limb constraint equations with difficult solutions, and 5 variables needs to be eliminated. By contrast, the closed-form
forward displacement model of the new parallel robot can be easily established, which is corresponding to the simplest forward
displacement model of Stewart platform mechanisms [56], according to the method proposed by Liang [54].

3. Velocity model and acceleration model of the new robot

3.1. Velocity model of the new robot

Taking the derivative of two sides of Eq. (11), yields

v + ω × rPFi = LAD θ̇i2 Si2 × uAi Di + LDE θ̇i1 Si1 × uDi Ei + LEF ωEi Fi × uEi Fi (36)

where θ̇ij is the angular velocity of joint ij, Sij denotes the axis direction of joint ij, v denotes the linear velocity of point P in the moving
platform, ωEiFi denotes the angular velocity of link EiFi,

ωEi Fi = (θ̇i1 Si1 + θ̇i6 Si6 ) (37)

and ω denotes the angular velocity of the moving platform,

ω = Jω θ̇ (38)

where
⎛ ⎞ ⎛ ⎞
0 − sinα cosαcosβ α̇
⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟
⎜
Jω = ⎝ 0 cosα sinαsinβ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟
⎠; θ̇ = ⎝ β̇ ⎠ (39)
1 0 cosβ γ̇

Dot multiplying both sides of Eq. (36) with Si1, yields

(v + ω × rPFi )T Si1 = LEF θ̇i6 (Si6 × uEi Fi )T Si1 (40)

Then,
( )
v
θ̇i6 = Ji6 (41)
θ̇

where
( )
Si1 T (rPFi × Si1 )T
Ji6 = J vω (42)
LEF (Si6 × uEi Fi )T Si1 LEF (Si6 × uEi Fi )T Si1

Dot multiplying both sides of Eq. (36) with uAiDi yields

(v + ω × rPFi )T uAi Di = (LDF θ̇i1 Si1 × uDF + LEF θ̇i6 Si6 × uEi Fi )T uAi Di (43)

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Then
( )
v
θ̇i1 = Ji1 (44)
θ̇

where
( ) T
uAi Di T (rPFi × uAi Di )T − LEF (Si6 × uEi Fi ) uAi Di Ji6
Ji1 = T J vω (45)
(Si1 × LDi Fi ) uAi Di

and LDiFi =LDiEi +LEiFi.

Dot multiplying both sides of Eq. (36) with LDiEi, yields

(v + ω × rPFi )T uDi Ei = (LAD θ̇i2 Si2 × uAi Di + LEF θ̇i1 Si1 × uEi Fi + LEF θ̇i6 Si6 × uEi Fi )T uDi Ei (46)
Then,
( )
v
θ̇i2 = Ji2 (47)
θ̇

where
( ) T T
(uDi Ei )T (rPFi × uDi Ei )T − LEF (Si6 × uEi Fi ) uDi Ei Ji6 − LEF (Si6 × uEi Fi ) uDi Ei Ji1
Ji2 = T J vω (48)
LAD (Si2 × uAi Di ) uDi Ei
From Eq. (44) and Eq. (47), for the parallel robot with three limbs, there exists
( )
v
T
( θ̇11 θ̇12 θ̇21 θ̇22 θ̇31 θ̇32 ) = J (49)
θ̇

where

J = ( J11 J12 J21 J22 J31 J32 )T (50)

3.2. Acceleration model of the new robot

Taking the derivative of two sides of Eq. (36), yields

2
a + ε × rPFi + ω × (ω × rPFi ) = LAD θ̈i2 (Si1 × uAi Di ) + LAD θ̇i2 Si1 × (Si1 × uAi Di ) + LDE θ̈i1 (Si1 × uDi Ei )
2
(51)
+ LDE θ̇i1 Si1 × (Si1 × uDi Ei ) + LEF (εEi Fi × uEi Fi ) + LEF ωEi Fi × (ωEi Fi × uEi Fi )

where θ̈ij is the angular velocity of joint ij, a denotes the linear acceleration of point O in the moving platform, εEiFi denotes the angular
acceleration of link EiFi,

εEi Fi = ω̇Ei Fi = θ̈i1 Si1 + θ̈i6 Si6 + θ̇i6 θ̇i1 (Si1 × Si6 ) = θ̈i1 Si1 + θ̈i6 Si6 + θ̇i6 θ̇i1 uAi Bi (52)

and ε denotes the angular acceleration of the moving platform,

(53)
T
ε = Jω θ̈ + θ̇ Hθ̇

where

(54)

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

The generalized acceleration of the moving platform can be expressed as

( ) ( )
a a
= Jvω +h (55)
ε θ̈

where
( )
03×1
h= T (56)
θ̇ Hθ̇
Dot multiplying both sides of Eq. (51) with Si1, yields

(a + ε × rPFi + ω × (ω × rPFi ))T Si1 = LEF θ̈i6 (Si6 × uEi Fi )T Si1 + (LEF θ̇i6 (θ̇i2 − θ̇i1 )Si1 × Si6 × uEi Fi )T Si1 (57)
Then, the following relation can be obtained,
( )
a
θ̈i6 = Ji6 + hi6 (58)
θ̈

where
( ( 2 )T )
(ω × (ω × rPFi ))T Si1 − LEF θ̇i6 Si1 − θ̇i6 θ̇i1 Si6 uEi Fi
hi6 = − Ji6 hp (59)
LEF (Si6 × uEi Fi )T Si1

where
( )
a
hp = (60)
θ̈

Dot multiplying both sides of Eq. (51) with uAiDi, yields

2 2
(a + ε × rPFi + ω × (ω × rPFi ))T uAi Di = LDE θ̈i1 (Si1 × uDi Ei )T uAi Di + LAD θ̇i2 (Si1 × (Si1 × uAi Di ))T uAi Di + LDE θ̇i1 (Si1
(61)
×(Si1 × uDi Ei ))T uAi Di + LEF θ̇i6 θ̇i2 (Si1 × Si6 × uEi Fi )T uAi Di + LEF θ̇i1 Si1 × ((θ̇i1 Si1 + θ̇i6 Si6 ) × uEi Fi )T uAi Di
Then, the following relation can be obtained,
( )
a
θ̈i1 = Ji1 + hi1 (62)
θ̈

where
1 ( 2 2
hi1 = (ω × (ω × rPFi ))T − LAD θ̇i2 Si1 × (Si1 × uAi Di ) − LDE θ̇ i1 Si1
LDE (Si1 × uDi Ei )uAi Di (63)
×(Si1 × uDi Ei ) − LEF θ̇i6 θ̇i2 (Si1 × Si6 × uEi Fi ) − LEF θ̇i1 Si1 × ((θ̇i1 Si1 + θ̇i6 Si6 ) × uEi Fi ))T uAi Di − Ji1 hp

Dot multiplying both sides of Eq. (51) with LDEuDiEi, yields

( (( ) )
2
(a + ε × rPFi + ω × (ω × rPFi ))T LDi Ei = LAD θ̈i2 (Si1 × uAi Di )T + LEF θ̈i6 Si6 + θ̇i6 θ̇i1 Si1 × Si6 × uEi Fi + LAD θ̇i2 Si1
(64)
2 )T
×(Si1 × uAi Di ) + LDE θ̇i1 Si1 × (Si1 × uDi Ei ) + LEF (θ̇i1 Si1 + θ̇i6 Si6 ) × ((θ̇i1 Si1 + θ̇i6 Si6 ) × uEi Fi ) LDi Ei

Then, the following relation can be obtained,

( )
a
θ̈i2 = Ji2 + hi2 (65)
θ̈

where
( (( ) )
1 2
hi2 = (ω × (ω × rPFi ))T − LAD θ̇i2 Si1 × (Si1 × uAi Di ) − LEF θ̈i6 Si6 + θ̇i6 θ̇i1 Si1 × Si6 × uEi Fi
LAD (Si1 × uAi Di )T LDi Ei (66)
2 )T
− LDE θ̇i1 Si1 × (Si1 × LDi Ei ) − LEF (θ̇i1 Si1 + θ̇i6 Si6 ) × ((θ̇i1 Si1 + θ̇i6 Si6 ) × uEi Fi ) LDi Ei − Ji2 hp

From Eqs. (62) and (65), the acceleration model of the robot can be established,

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Table 2
The main dimension parameters.
LOA(mm) LAB(mm) LBC(mm) LDE(mm) LEF(mm) LFG(mm) LPG(mm)

290 90 300 40 640 68 105

Fig. 4. The simulation model of the new parallel robot.

Fig. 5. Actuation angles and trajectories: (a) the actuation angles of limb 1, and (b) the simulation trajectory and imposed trajectory.

( )
( )T a
θ̈11 θ̈12 θ̈21 θ̈22 θ̈31 θ̈32 =J + ( h11 h12 h21 h22 h31 h32 )T (67)
θ̈

3.3. A typical numerical example

In this section, a typical numerical example is presented to verify the correctness of the established kinematic model of the new
parallel robot. Referring to the Panasonic’s Hexa robot [57], the main dimension parameters of the new parallel robot are given in
Table 2, and a virtual prototype is presented in Fig. 4(a). A simulation model of the virtual prototype is established based on ADAMS
software, shown in Fig. 4(b). A sine function trajectory of the moving platform is given, which is represented in Eq. (68).
{
xP = 10t; yP = sin(10t); zP = − 800 + t; (mm)
(68)
α = 0; β = 0.1t; γ = 0; (rad)
Then, based on Eqs. (11), (49) and (67) the corresponding calculation result of actuation angles, angular velocities, and angular

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Fig. 6. Angular velocities and angular accelerations of the actuators: (a) angular velocities of the actuators of limb 1, (b) angular velocities of the
actuators of limb 2, (c) angular accelerations of the actuators of limb 1, and (d) angular accelerations of the actuators of limb 2.

accelerations of the six actuators can be obtained, respectively. The corresponding simulation result can be also obtained by ADAMS
software. Fig. 5(a) shows the comparisons of calculation results (θ11 and θ12) and simulation results (θ_11 and θ_12) of two actuation
angles of limb 1, respectively. It can be found that the two kinds of results are nearly coincident, which verifies that the established
inverse position model is correct.
Further, substituting the calculation results of the actuation angles into Eqs. (34) and (35) of the closed-form forward displacement
model, the imposed trajectory of the moving platform can be determined. Correspondingly, the simulation trajectory of the moving
platform can be also obtained. Fig. 5(b) shows the two trajectories are nearly coincident, which verifies the correctness of the
established closed-form forward displacement model.
At last, Fig. 6 shows the comparisons of calculation results and simulation results of actuation angular velocities, and angular
accelerations of limb 1 and limb 2, where ωij and ω_ij represent calculation results and simulation results of the angular velocity of the j-
th actuator on the i th limb, and αij and α_ij represent calculation results and simulation results of the angular acceleration of the j-th
aAictuation on the i th limb. The comparisons show that these calculation and simulation results are consistent, which verifies the
correctness of the established velocity model and acceleration model.

4. Singularity analysis of the new 6-DOF parallel robot

Generally, a parallel robot has degeneracy or/and force degeneracy at its singular loci [58], in order to avoid these situations,
singular analysis is a necessary step during the design process of a robotic mechanism. In previous studies, different methods for
singularity analysis of parallel robots have been proposed [58–60]. According to the method proposed by Fang and Tsai [59], the
singularity of a parallel robot can be divided into three types, including limb singularity, platform singularity and actuation singularity,
which can be described by screw theory conveniently [61].

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Fig. 7. The twist system of limb i.

Fig. 8. Actuation singularity: (a) the constraint wrench system of limb i, and (b) the three planes determined by$;ci .

4.1. Limb singularity

This type of singularity occurs when the limb twist system is linearly dependent, which leads to the moving platform loses one or
more DOF, and will possibly result in a lock-up of the moving platform [59]. As shown in Fig. 7, with respect to frame i, the twist system
of limb i of the new parallel robot can be represented as
(i i i i i
)
uyi 03×1 Si6 uxi uyi uzi
$i = (69)
03×1 i u1i i rAi Ei ×i Si6 i rAi Fi ×i uxi i rAi Fi ×i uyi i rAi Fi ×i uzi

where iu1i = (sinθi2, 0, cosθi2)T, iSi6 denotes the axis direction of joint Ri6 with respect to frame i, iuxi, iuyi and iuzi represent the directions
of xi axis, yi axis and zi axis, respectively.
The condition of producing limb singularity is that $;i is linearly dependent, which demands that
det($i ) = 0 (70)
Solving Eq. (70), yields that the limb singularity happens when θi1 + θi2 = π, or θi1 + θi2 = 0, which means that the limb singularity
of the new parallel robot occurs when rod AiBi is colinear with rod AiDi.

4.2. Platform singularity

The main reason for platform singularity is due to the linear dependence of the constraint wrench system in the platform wrench
system. If a platform singularity occurs, the moving platform will gain one or more unexpected DOFs, and the robot will lose control.
Based on the reciprocal relation between twists and wrenches [62], the constraint wrench system $ci of limb i is equal to 0, which means
the platform always has 6-DOF. Thus, there is no platform singularity.

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Fig. 9. Position workspace of the new parallel robot and its projections: (a) the position workspace, and (b) the projection on XY plane.

Fig. 10. Recommended workspace of the two robots: (a) the new parallel robot, and (b) the Panasonic’s Hexa robot.

Fig. 11. Rotation ability of the new parallel robot at (0, 0, − 800)T: (a) the maximum yaw angle, and (b) the maximum pitch angle.

4.3. Actuation singularity

The main reason for actuation singularity is due to the improper choice of actuated joints, which may cause local mobility. When
the two actuation joints of limb i are locked [59], the twist system in Eq. (69) only includes the last four twists. Then, the constraint
wrench system of limb i is

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Fig. 12. Rotation ability of the Panasonic’s Hexa robot at (0, 0, − 800)T: (a) the maximum yaw angle, and (b) the maximum pitch angle.

Fig. 13. The physical prototype of the new robot.

( i i )
Si6 uFi Ei
$ci = ( $c1i $c2i ) = i
(71)
rAi Fi ×i Si6 i
rAi Fi ×i uFi Ei

where $c1i and $c2i represent two forces at point Fi, and the direction of iuFiEi is from Fi to Ei. Since the two constraint forces of $ci are
intersecting, they can determine Plane-i, shown in Fig. 8(a).
Then, the moving platform is imposed six constraint forces, which determines three planes, shown in Fig. 8(b). The condition of
producing actuation singularity is that $;c1 , $;c2 and $;c3 are linearly dependent, based on the Grassmann geometry [63]. That means that
Plane-1, Plane-2 and Plane-3 have a common intersecting line, when normal vectors n1, n2 and n3 of the three planes are coplanar [64],
satisfying

⎧ | n1 n2 rF1 − rF2 | = 0
⎪
⎨ | n2 n3 rF2 − rF3 | = 0
(72)
⎪ | n1
⎩ n3 rF1 − rF3 | = 0
ni × nj ∕
=0

By solving Eq. (72), the condition of producing actuation singularity can be obtained as

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Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Fig. 14. The recommended workspace verification of the physical prototype: (a) the rang of yaw angle at (0, 0, − 650)T, (b) the rang of pitch angle at (0, 0, − 650)T, (c) the rang of yaw angle at (450, 0,
− 800)T, and (d) the rang of yaw angle at (450, 0, − 800)T.
 Z. Meng et al.
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Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Fig. 15. The rotation ability of the physical prototype at (0, 0, − 800)T: (a) the maximum yaw angle, and (b) the maximum pitch angle.
Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

{
θ11 = θ21 = θ31
(73)
θ12 = θ22 = θ32

Therefore, the actuation singularity happens when Eq. (73) is satisfied, which means that the geometrical center of the moving
platform is at the symmetric axis of the new parallel robot. From the above analysis, the new robot has only fewer singularity loci.
Because the new parallel robot has six actuators, it is very easy to pass these singularity loci.

5. Workspace analysis of the new 6-DOF parallel robot

Joint angle ranges and limb interferences are two main mechanical constraints that limit the workspace of a parallel robot [65].
Especially, S joints greatly limit the workspace of the robot because of the relatively small angle ranges of them. Different from the
classic Hexa robot with 6 limbs and 6 S joints, the new parallel robot has only 3 limbs and 3 S joints, which greatly reduces joint angle
limitations and link interferences. Based on the main dimensions presented in Table 2, the position workspace of the new parallel robot
can be obtained and shown in Fig. 9.
Then, Panasonic [57] has presented the recommended position workspace, in which both yaw angle φ and pitch angle ϕ of the
moving platform are needed to be greater than or equal to the range from negative 30 deg to positive 30 deg, for the Hexa robot with
the same main dimensions in Table 2, shown in Fig. 10. The volume of the Panasonic’s Hexa robot is 0.056 m3, shown in Fig. 10(b). For
the new parallel robot, its recommended workspace is shown in Fig. 10(a), with the volume of 0.159 m3. Therefore, the recommended
workspace of the new parallel robot is about 3 times bigger than the Panasonic’s Hexa robot. The reason that the new parallel robot has
a larger recommended workspace is because it includes fewer joint angle limitations and limb interferences.
Further, the new 6-DOF parallel robot has a higher rotation ability than the Hexa robot, at any point in the recommended
workspace. For example, taking the geometrical center of the moving platform is at the position of (0, 0, − 800)T, which is the center of
the recommended workspace of Panasonic’s Hexa robot, the moving platform of the new parallel robot can rotate 180 deg around zb
axis, and can rotate 61 deg around xb axis, shown in Fig. 11. However, the moving platform of the Hexa robot can only rotate 150 deg
around zb axis, and can rotate 31 deg around xb axis, shown in Fig. 12.
At last, a physical prototype of the new robot has been developed, shown in Fig. 13, which can be used to test the workspace of the
robot. Taking two boundary positions (0, 0, − 650)T and (450, 0, − 800)T of the recommended workspace shown in Fig. 10(a) for
example, when the moving platform of the prototype is at (0, 0, − 650)T, the ranges of the yaw angle and pitch angle are from − 180 deg
to 180 deg, and from − 30 deg to 30 deg, respectively, shown in Figs. 14(a) and (b).
When the moving platform is at (450, 0, − 800)T, the ranges of the yaw angle and pitch angle are from − 110 deg to 110 deg, and
from − 65 deg to 65 deg, respectively, shown in Figs. 14(c) and (d). The above tests show the yaw angle and pitch angle of the moving
platform can be enough to satisfy the required range from negative 30 deg to positive 30 deg, which verifies the above analyzed
recommended position workspace is effective.
When the moving platform of the prototype is at (0, 0, − 800)T, the maximum pitch angle and maximum yaw angle are 61 deg and
180 deg, respectively, shown in Figs. 15(a) and (b). The experiment results are coincident with the theoretical results presented in
Fig. 11, which verifies that the new parallel robot has the high rotation ability.

6. Conclusions

A novel 6-DOF parallel robot with 3 R[RRRR]RS limbs for high-speed operations is presented in this paper. The kinematic model of
the new parallel robot is established, which shows the closed-form forward kinematics model of the robot can be easily obtained. The
correctness of the kinematic model of the new parallel robot is demonstrated by a typical numerical example. The new parallel robot
has relatively fewer singularities based on the screw theory. Under the same main dimensions, the recommended workspace of the new
parallel robot is about 3 times larger than the Panasonic’s Hexa robot, and the new parallel robot has a higher rotation ability at the
recommended workspace. A physical prototype of the new parallel robot has been developed to verify the obtained workspace. The
new parallel robot has potential applications to high-speed assembly and spatial pick-and-place in industrial production lines.

Declaration of Competing Interest

None.

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to the project (No. 51875538) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and
the open project fund (No. DZZB202001) supported by the Hubei Intelligent Geological Equipment Engineering Technology Research
Center.

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

Appendix

⎛ ⎞
⎜ xP + LOA − ξ1 ⎟
θ11 = arcsin⎝√̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅
̅⎠
2 2
(xP + LOA − ξ1 ) + (zP − ζ1 )
⎛
(xP − ξ1 )2 + (zP − ζ1 )2 − LAC 2 − (LAB + LEF cθ16 )2
⎞ (74)
L
⎜ AC − (L AB + L EF cθ )
16 ⎟
⎜ − 2LAC (LAB + LEF cθ16 ) ⎟
− arcsin⎜ √̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅ ⎟
⎝ 2 2 ⎠
(xP + LOA − ξ1 ) + (zP − ζ1 )

( )
(xP − ξ1 )2 + (zP − ζ1 )2 − LAC 2 − (LAB + LEF cθ16 )2
θ12 = arccos − θ11 (75)
− 2LAD (LAB + LEF cθ16 )

where c# and s# represent cos(#) and sin(#), respectively, and

{
ξ1 = − LFG cαsβ − LPG cαcβcγ
(76)
ζ1 = − LFG cβ − LPG sβcγ
(( √̅̅̅ )2 )
2xP + LOA − 2ξ2 + 3 LEF sθ26 (zP − ζ2 )2 − LAD 2 − (LAB + LEF cθ26 )2
θ22 = arccos + − θ21 (77)
− 2LAD (LAB + LEF cθ26 ) − 2LAD (LAB + LEF cθ26 )

⎛ ⎞
√̅̅̅
⎜ 2x P + L OA − 2ξ 2 + 3 L EF 26sθ ⎟
θ21 = arcsin⎝ − √̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅
( )2 ⎠
√̅̅̅ 2
2xP + LOA − 2ξ2 + 3 LEF sθ26 + (zP − ζ2 )
⎛ ( √̅̅̅ )2 ⎞
⎛ LAD 2xP + LOA − 2ξ2 + 3 LEF sθ26 + (zP − ζ2 )2 ⎞
⎜ ⎟
⎜⎝ √̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅
( √̅̅̅ ) ⎠ ⎟ (78)
⎜ 2 ⎟
⎜ − 2LAD (LAB + LEF cθ26 ) 2xP + LOA − 2ξ2 + 3 LEF sθ26 + (zP − ζ2 )2 ⎟
⎜ ⎟
− arcsin⎜
⎜ ⎛ ⎞⎟⎟
⎜ ⎟
⎜ ⎜ − LAD 2 − (LAB + LEF cθ26 )2 − 2LAC (LAB + LEF cθ26 )(LAB + LEF cθ26 ) ⎟ ⎟
⎝ +⎝ √̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅ ⎠ ⎠
( √̅̅̅ )2
2
− 2LAD (LAB + LEF cθ26 ) 2xP + LOA − 2ξ2 + 3 LEF sθ26 + (zP − ζ2 )

where
⎧ √̅̅̅ √̅̅̅
⎪
⎪ 3 1 3
⎪
⎨ ξ2 = − LFG cαsβ − LPG sαcγ + LPG cαcβcγ + LPG cαcβsγ
2 2 2
√ ̅̅
̅ (79)
⎪
⎪ 3 1
⎪
⎩ ζ2 = − LFG cβ − LPG sβsγ − LPG sβcγ
2 2
⎛ ⎞
√̅̅̅
⎜ 2x P + L OA − 2ξ 3 − 3 L sθ
EF 36 ⎟
θ31 = arcsin⎝ − √̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅⎠
(2xP + LOA − ξ3 )2 + (zP − ζ3 )2
( )2
⎛
2xP + LOA − 2ξ3 −
√̅̅̅
3 LEF sθ36 + (zP − ζ3 )2 − LAD 2 − (LAB + LEF cθ36 )2
⎞ (80)
⎜LAD − 2LAD (LAB + LEF cθ36 )
− (LAB + LEF cθ36 ) ⎟
⎜ ⎟
− arcsin⎜ √̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅
( )2 ⎟
⎝ √̅̅̅ ⎠
2xP + LOA − 2ξ3 − 3 LEF sθ36 + (zP − ζ3 )2

(( √̅̅̅ )2 )
2xP + LOA − 2ξ3 − 3 LEF sθ36 + (zP − ζ3 )2 − LAD 2 − (LAB + LEF cθ36 )2
θ32 = arccos − θ31 (81)
− 2LAD (LAB + LEF cθ36 )

where

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Z. Meng et al. Mechanism and Machine Theory 173 (2022) 104875

⎧ √̅̅̅ √̅̅̅
⎪
⎪ 3 1 3
⎪
⎨ ξ3 = − LFG cαsβ − LPG sαcγ + LPG cαcβcγ − LPG cαcβsγ
2 2 2
√ ̅̅
̅ (82)
⎪
⎪ 3 1
⎪
⎩ ζ3 = − LFG cβ − LPG sβsγ − LPG sβcγ
2 2

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