Manufacturing Engineering Department

Lecture 10 – Industrial Robots Analysis

Industrial Robot Kinematics
• Robot kinematics is concerned with the position and
orientation of the robot’s end-of-arm, or the end effector
attached to it, as a function of time but without regard for the
effects of force or mass.

• Our treatment of manipulator kinematics will be limited to the

mathematical representation of the position and orientation of
the robot’s end-of-arm.

• The kinematics analysis involves two different kinds of

problems:
1. Determining the coordinates of the end-effector or end-or-
arm for a given set of joints coordinates (Forward
Kinematics), and
2. Determining the joints coordinates for a given location of
the end-effector or end-of-arm (Backward Kinematics).
Industrial Robot Kinematics
• Both the joint space and world space methods of defining
position in the robot’s space are important.
• The joint space method is important because the manipulator
positions its end-of-arm by moving its joints to certain values.
• The world space method is important because applications of
the robot are defined in terms of points in space using
Cartesian coordinate system.
Forward and Backward Transformations
• What is needed is a means of mapping from one space method
to the other.
• Mapping from joint space to world space is called Forward
transformation, and
• Converting from world space to joint space is called Backward
transformation.
Forward and Backward Transformation for a Robot with Two Joints

1- An OO Robot
• Forward Transformation

X = λ2 and Z = λ1
• Backward Transformation

λ1 = Z and λ2 =X

Where
X and Z are the coordinate
values in the world space

λ1 and λ2 are the values in

joint space
Forward and Backward Transformation for a Robot with Two Joints

2 - An RR Robot
• Forward Transformation

The forward transformation is calculated by noting that the

lengths and directions of the two links might be viewed as
vectors in space:

r1  L1 cos 1 , L1 sin 1

r2  L2 cos(1   2 ), L2 sin(1   2 )
Forward and Backward Transformation for a Robot with Two Joints
Vector addition or r1 and r2 (and taking account of link L0) yields
the coordinate values of X and Z at the end-of-arm:

X  L1 cos 1  L2 cos(1   2 )
Z  L0  L1 sin 1  L2 sin(1   2 )
Forward and Backward Transformation for a Robot with Two Joints
• Backward Transformation
For the backward transformation, we are given the coordinate
positions X and Z in world space, and we must calculate the
joint values that will provide those coordinate values.

x  ( z  L0 )  L  L
2 2 2 2
cos  2  1 2
2 L1 L2

sin 1 
( z  L0 )( L1  L2 cos  2 )  xL2 sin  2 
{x( L1  L2 cos  2 )  ( z  L0 ) L2 sin  2 }
Forward and Backward Transformation for a Robot with Three Joints

• Let us consider a manipulator with three degrees-of-freedom,

all rotational, in which the third joint represents a simple wrist.
• The robot is a RR:R configuration is shown below:

• The robot is limited to the x-z plane and the origin of the axis system
at the center of joint 1
Forward and Backward Transformation for a Robot with Three Joints

• The arm-and-body (RR:) provides position of the end-of-arm

• The wrist (:R) provides orientation.

• For the forward transformation, the X and Z coordinates can be

calculated as follows:

• Let α the orientation angle. It is the angle made by the wrist

with the horizontal. It equals the algebraic sum of the three
joint angles:
Forward and Backward Transformation for a Robot with Three Joints
• In the backward transformation, we are given the world coordinates
X, Z, and α, and we want to calculate the joint values θ1, θ2 and θ3 that
will achieve those coordinates.
• This is accomplished by first determining the coordinates of joint 3 as
follows:

• Knowing the coordinates of joint 3, the problem of determining θ1 and

θ2 is as follows:

• The value of joint 3 is then determined as

 Forward and Backward Transformation for a Robot with Four Joints
in Three Dimensions
• Consider the four degree-of-freedom robot shown below. Its
configuration is TRL:R.

• Joint 1 (T type) provides rotation about Z-axis.

• Joint 2 (R type) provides rotation about a horizontal axis whose direction is
determined by joint 1.
• Joint 3 (L Type) is a piston that allows linear motion in a direction determined by
joints 1 and 2.
• Joint 4 (R type) provides rotation about an axis that is parallel to the axis of joint 2
Forward and Backward Transformation for a Robot with Four Joints
in Three Dimensions

• The values of the four joints are, respectively,.θ1, θ2, λ3, and θ4.
• Given these values the forward transformation is given by:

where
Forward and Backward Transformation for a Robot with Four Joints
in Three Dimensions

• In the backward transformation, we are given the world coordinates X, Y,

Z, and α. Where α specifies orientation.
• To find the joint values, we define the coordinates of joint 4 as follows:
Homogenous Transformation
• Each of the previous manipulators required its own individual analysis,
resulting in its own set of trigonometric equations, to accomplish the
forward and backward transformations.
• There is a general approach for solving the manipulator kinematics
equations based on homogeneous transformations.

• The goal in robot motion is often to describe the effect of combined

motions resulting from both translation and rotation.

• The homogenous transformation approach utilizes vector and matrix

algebra to define the joint and link positions and orientations with
respect to a fixed coordinate system (world space).
• The end-of-arm is defined by the following 4 x 4 matrix:

 nx ox ax px 
n oy ay 
py 
T  y
 nz oz az pz 
 
0 0 0 1
Homogenous Transformation
• Where T consists of four column vectors representing the position and
orientation of the end-of-arm or end-effector

• The vector P defines the position

coordinates of the end effector relative
to the world x-y-z coordinate system.

• The vectors a, o, and n define the

orientation of the end effector.

• The a vector, called approach vector,

points in the direction of the end
effector.
• The o vector, or orientation vector,
specifies the side-to-side direction of
the end effector. For a gripper, this is
in the direction from one fingertip to
the opposite fingertip
• The n vector is the normal vector,
which is perpendicular to a and o.
Homogenous Transformation
• In manipulator kinematics, calculations based on homogeneous
transformations are used to establish the geometric relationships among
links of the manipulator.

• Let A1 = a 4 x 4 matrix that defines the position and orientation of link 1

with respect to the world coordinate axis.
• Similarly, A2 = a 4 x 4 matrix that defines the position and orientation of
the link 2 with respect to link 1.
• Then the position and orientation of link 2 with respect to the world
coordinate system (called T2) is given by:
T2 = A 1 A 2

• Where T2 represents the position and orientation of the end-or-arm (end

of link 2) of a manipulator with two joints.

• A1 and A2 define the changes in position and orientation resulting from

the actuations of joints 1 and 2 on links 1 and 2 respectively.
Homogenous Transformation
• In general, the position and orientation of the end-of-arm or end-effector
can be determined as the product series of homogeneous
transformations, usually one transformation for each joint-link
combination of the manipulator.

• From this matrix, a five degree of freedom manipulator can yield a

transformation matrix T = 0A5 that specifies the position and orientation
of the end point of the manipulator relative to the world coordinate
system.