Week 6-8

Chapter 3 c

Robot Kinematics
continued.
DH Notation for Forward
Kinematics
Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) Representation of Forward
Kinematic Equations of Robots

May be used for any configuration, whether specific

coordinates or not.
Can include joint offset, twist angles, multi-variable
joints, and so on.
Very common.
Many other equations are based on this methodology
 Summary of Frame Attachment for DH
Notation
1. Take or identify the common normal of the
joint motion axes
2. Connect and identify the origin to the
previous motion axis
3. Identify the Z axis of the frame( motion axis)
4. Identify the X- axis of the frame.
(perpendicular to z axis , along which ai( link
length is measured).
Summary of Frame Assignment
Representation Procedures
D-H Representation

DH Parameter Table
D-H Representation
Z-axes along the joint motion.
represents joint rotation.
D is joint linear displacement or distance
between common normals.
is the twist angle between z-axes.
a is the length of the common normal.
D-H Representation

Assign z-axes to each joint along linear motion or revolute axis.

Assign x-axes along the common normal between successive z-
axes.
No need for y-axes.
If z-axes coincide, x-axis is perpendicular to both.
If z-axes are parallel, x-axes can be anywhere.
D-H Representation
Four transformations are necessary to go from one frame to the
next:
Frame to Frame Transformation
DH Schematic Representaion
Parameters Description Remarks

ai-1 link length constant

1i link twist constant
di link offset Variable if
prismatic joint

i joint angle Variable if

revolute joint
Development of DH
Notation
Paramet Description Illustration
ers

ai-1 Link length, the distance from

Zi-1 to Zi measured along Xi-1
is assigned as ai-1

i 1 link twist, the angle between Zi-1 Zi-1

and Zi measured along Xi is

assigned as i-1

di link offset , the distance from Xi-1

to Xi measured along Zi is assigned
as di
i joint angle, the angle between Xi-1 to
Xi measured about Zi is assigned as i
General Transformation Matrix for Single Link
 Symbol Representation

4 parameters, two for th e joints, two for the links

Theta- is variable if joint is revolute
D is variable if joint is prismatic
D-H Representation
A parameters table may look like:
 D-H Representation
Rotate about the zn-axis an angle of n 1. This will make xn and
xn+1 parallel to each other. This is true because an and an+1 are
both perpendicular to zn, and rotating zn an angle of will make
n 1
them parallel (and thus, coplanar).
Translate along the zn-axis a distance of dn+1 to make xn and xn+1
collinear. Since xn and xn+1 were already parallel and normal to zn,
moving along zn will lay them over each other.
Translate along the (already rotated) xn-axis a distance of an+1 to
bring the origins of xn and xn+1 together. At this point, the origins of
the two reference frames will be at the same location.
n 1
Rotate zn-axis about xn+1-axis an angle of to align zn-axis with
zn+1-axis. At this point, frames n and n+1 will be exactly the same,
and we have transformed from one to the next.
 D-H Representation
A transformation matrix can be
formed by:
Tn 1 An 1 Rot ( z , n 1 ) Trans (0,0, d n 1 ) Trans (an 1 , 0,0) Rot ( x, n 1 )
n

C n 1 S n 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 a n 1 1 0 0 0
S C 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 C
0 S
0
n 1 n 1

n 1 n 1

0 0 1 0 0 0 1 d n 1 0 0 1 0 0 S n 1 C n 1 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
D-H Representation
An A-matrix is:

C n 1 S n 1C n 1 S n 1S n 1 an 1C n 1
S C n 1C n 1 C n 1S n 1 an 1S n 1
An 1 n 1

0 S n 1 C n 1 d n 1

0 0 0 1
Inverse Kinematics
The inverse kinematic Solution of a Robot
The inverse kinematic Solution of a Robot
The inverse kinematic Solution of a Robot
Inverse Kinematic Equations
Find a set of equations that allow determination of joint
values from desired position and orientation information.
Each robot has a different solution.
It may be necessary to use different approaches for each
robot.
This usually requires pre-multiplication of transformation
matrices by inverse of individual A matrices, squaring of
terms, divisions, and so on.
Inverse Kinematic Equations
For the shown example, the following
may be found:
p y
1 tan and 1 1 180
1

px
( pxC1 p y S1 C234 a4 ) 2 ( pz S 234 a4 ) 2 a22 a32
C3
2a2 a3

where
S 1 C2 and
3 3
1 S3
3 tan
C3
Inverse Kinematic Equations: cont.

az
234 tan 1
and 234 234 180
Ca S a
1 x 1 y

(C3a3 a2 )( pz S234 a4 ) S3a3 ( pxC1 p y S1 C234 a4 )

2 tan 1
(C3 a3 a2 )( pxC1 p y S1 C234 a4 ) S3a3 ( pz S 234 a4 )

4 234 2 3
C234 (C1ax S1a y ) S 234 a z
5 tan 1
S1ax C1a y

S 234 (C1nx S1n y ) C234 nz

6 tan 1

S 234 (C1ox S1o y ) C234oz

Inverse Kinematic Programming of Robots
Link Coordinate Frames
DH NOTATION
DH Parameter Table
Example 2
Example 3
Transformation from last joint to first
joint
The Forward Kinematics of End Effector
wrt to the Base Frame
Stanford V. Scheinman arm
DH Parametric Table
From z to
z3 . There is
a twist of 90
degree s
clockwise
direction, d3
(link offset is
variable)
Link Transformation matrix from
last link wrt to the Base
Verification of Mathematical Model
 V Scheinman Arm Forward
Kinematics using DH Notation
D-H Representation
Example: A simple 6-axis robot
z

x2
z0
3 z4
a2 a3 x5
y z2
a4
x4
x 2 4
x0 x1
x3 z5
z6
z3 x6
z1 1
Degeneracy(Kinematic Singularity)
When a degree of freedom is lost.
Occurs when beta of Euler angles =0 or
theta = 0
6
5
4

z 3

x 2
y
1
Dexterity

When a position within the work envelope

can be specified, but orientation is limited.
This usually happens near the boundaries or
reach.
Degeneracy and Dexterity
The Fundamental Problem with the Denavit-
Hartenberg Representation
No transformation along the y-axis is
allowed.
Joint manufacturing errors are usually in
this direction.
Sample Problems
Parametric Tablle
 Assignment

2.21
2.24