ROBOT

KINEMATICS
Robot Kinematics

■ The robot kinematics study the robot movement regarding a reference system

■ It is an analytical description of the robot spatial movement as a time function

■ Particularly, is the relationship between final effector position and orientation with the
articular coordinates values
Two problems to solve

■ Direct kinematic problem. Determines the position and orientation of the robot's final
effector regarding a reference system. The robot articulations and geometrical values are
known.

■ Inverse kinematic problem. Computes the robot configuration for a final effector
position and orientation known.
In other words

■ Direct kinematics. The articulations positions are already given and the problem is to
find the final effector configuration

■ Inverse kinematics. The final effector position is given, and the problem is to find the
articulations angles
Direct and inverse kinematics
Direct kinematics through homogeneous
transformation matrix
■ For a 2 DOF robot
For more DOF

■ A systematic method based on the homogeneous transformation matrix can be done

■ A n DOF robot is formed by n links joined by n articulations
■ For each joint-link, a coordinates system can be associated with them
■ By the homogeneous transformation matrix, it is possible to represent the relative
movement between two consecutive links
For instance a 6 DOF robot

■ Each matrix A represent each link

■ For the first link the matrix , the second link and so on
■ Finally the multiplication of each homogeneous transform matrix will represent the final
effector position and orientation
Denavit-Hartenberg representation

■ In 1955 Denavit and Hartenberg proposed a matrix method for establishing in a

systematic way a coordinates system
■ Each system is bound to a link in an articulated chain
■ According to D-H by chossing properly the coordinates systems bound to each link, it is
possible through 4 basic transformation pass for one link to another
The 4 basic transformations according D-
H
■ Rotation around axis by an angle of
■ Translation along a distance
■ Translation along a distance
■ Rotation around axis by an angle of
By applying basic transformation matrix

Where , , and represents the D-H parameters for the i link

The problem is to identify for each link, obtain a matrix A and perform the matrix multiplication
D-H algorithm

1. Number the robot links beginning with the number 1 (firts mobile link in the chain) and
ending with n. The fixed base will be the number 0
2. Number each articulation beginning in 1 (first DOF) and ending in n
3. Localize each joint axis. If is rotative, the axis will be its owns rotating axis. If is
prismatic, the axis will be along the displacement occurs
4. For i of 0 to n-1, place the axis over the joint axis i+1
5. Place the base system in the axis. The and axis are placed forming a dextro-rotatory
system with
6. For i of 1 to n-1, place the system in the intersection with the normal line to and
D-H algorithm

7. Place in the normal line common to and

8. Place forming a dextro-rotating system with and
9. Place the system in the final effector and must coincide to and will be normal to and
10. Obtain the as the angle to rotate for making parallels and
11. Obtain as the distance along for making coincide and
12. Obtani as the distance along for making coincide with
13. Obtain ad the angle to rotate around in order to making coincide the and origins
D-H algorithm

14. Obtain the transformation matrix defined by

15. Multiply the transformation matrix

D-H algorithm: step 1

1. Number the robot links beginning with the number 1 (firts

mobile link in the chain) and ending with n. The fixed base
will be the number 0
D-H algorithm: step 2

Place the z axis, in the direction movement. If the joint is

Rotative, the axis will be at the same position as its rotative axis
(links 0, 1 and 4). If is prismatic is placed at movement direction
(links 2 and 3)
D-H algorithm step 3

Place the systems S (formed by x, y and z) beginning

At S0 and ending in Sn, in this case S4. X and Y will
Be in dextro-rotating sense (steps 1-9)
The system S3 it is at the beginning of link 4 and S4
at the end of link 4, is moving at the figure in order to
no appears to much spliced
D-H algorith step 4

D-H parameters for link 0 to 1:

• If both links are rotative: , even if looks
aligned, the objective is to make x1 and x0
to be parallel
• d is the distance to move S0 to S1 in order to stay at
the same point, this is l1
• a is the distance to move S0 to reach S1 along x axis,
in this case is 0
• Finally, alpha is the angle to rotate S0 around x for
making coincide S0 and S0, in this case is 0

0 0
D-H algoritm step 5

• is for making x1 parallel to x2, in this case S1 is

rotative and S2 is prismatic, it is necessary to rotate x1
around z axis by 90° in counterclockwise
• d is the distance to move S1 to S2 along z axis, in this
case d2
• a is the distance to move S1 to S2 along x axis, in this
case 0
• alpha is the angle to rotate S1 around x axis for making
coincide z1 and z2, in this case 90° in clockwise

-90 0 90
D-H algorithm step 6
• is the angle to rotate S2 around z axis for making
x2 and x3 be parallel, in this case is 0, both systems
are prismatic
• d is the distance to move S2 along z axis for making
coincide x2 and x3, in this case is d3
• a is the distance to move S2 along x axis for making
coincide S2 and S3, in this case is 0
• alpha is the angle to rotate S2 around x axis for
making coincide z2 and z3, in this case is 0

0 0 0
D-H algorithm step 7
• is the angle to rotate S3 around z axis for
making x3 be parallel to x4, the system is
rotative, so it is
• d is the distance to move S3 to S4 along z
axis, in this case l4
• a is the distance to move S3 to S4 along x
axis, in this case is 0
• alpha is the angle to rotate around x axis, in
this case is 0

0 0
D-H parameters for this robot

Articulation
1 0 0
2 -90 0 90
3 0 0 0
4 0 0
The matrix for each articulation
The transformation matrix is

C is cosine and S is sine