Design, Analysis, and Implementation of a 3-DOF Spherical Parallel Manipulator

Abstract

The agile eye is classified as a 3-degrees of freedom (DOF) type 3-RRR spherical parallel mechanism (SPM) designed to replicate the movement patterns seen in the human eye. The end organ exhibits a range of motion inside a cone of vision spanning 140°, with a twist tolerance of ±30°. Additionally, the mechanism can achieve angular velocities exceeding 1000 °/s and angular accelerations surpassing 20 °/ $\text{s}^{2}$ . The objective of this research is to conduct a comprehensive examination of the direct and inverse kinematics of the spatial parallel manipulator (SPM) on a manipulator. The purpose of doing a kinematic analysis on the manipulator is to enhance the design optimization process, accurately determine the dimensions of all components, and improve the functionality of the computer-aided design (CAD) system. This study aims to ensure the efficient operation of the SPM and maximize its available workspace. Additionally, this study enables the achievement of a high level of stiffness inside the workspace and the establishment of clearly comprehensible limits for the workspace. Moreover, it facilitates the precise control of the SPM. An evaluation is conducted to assess the efficacy of the existing technique by comparing its outputs with those obtained from a virtual reality simulation using the commercially available software CopeliaSim. The control mechanism described in the present paper demonstrates a surplus in the resolution of precision problems while ensuring competitiveness at a controlled cost. The implementation of the robot revealed the effectiveness of the design approach adopted by recording an error of no more than 1%.

Keywords

• Mechatronics
• precision engineering
• spherical parallel manipulator
• Euler angles
• optimization
• implementation