1.

2 Spatial descriptions and transformations

• Robotic manipulation: implies that parts and tools will be moved around in space by
some sort of mechanism.

• It leads to a need for representing positions and orientations of parts, of tools, and of the
mechanism itself.

• To define and manipulate mathematical quantities that represent position and orientation, we
must define coordinate systems and develop conventions for representation.

• As reference we use universe coordinate system

 1.2.Spatialdescriptionsandtransformations
1.2.2 DESCRIPTIONS:POSITIONS,ORIENTATIONS,ANDFRAMES

• Description: is used to specify attributes of various objects with which a manipulation system deals.
• Once a coordinate system is established, we can locate any point in the universe with a 3×1 position vector.
• , This means that the components of Ap have numerical values that indicate distances along the axes of {A}

• In order to describe the orientation of a body, we will attach a coordinate system to the body and then give a
description of this coordinate system relative to the reference system

• A description of{B}relative to{A} now suffices to give the orientation of the body.
1.2 Spatial descriptions and transformations
• We denote the unit vectors giving the principal directions of coordinate system, {B} as , ,& .
• When written in terms of coordinate system {A} , they are called ,

[ ]
𝐴
𝑟 11 𝑟 12 𝑟 13
𝑅=[ 𝐴 ^𝑥 𝐵 ¿ 𝐴 𝑌
^ 𝐵 ¿ 𝐴^
𝑍𝐵
]= 𝑟 21 𝑟 22 𝑟 23
𝐵 𝑟 31 𝑟 32 𝑟 33

The dot product of two unit vectors yields the cosine of the angle between them, so it is clear why the
components of rotation matrices are often referred to as direction cosines.
Description of a frame
• The situation of a position and an orientation pair arises so often in robotics that we define an
entity called a frame, which is a set of four vectors giving position and orientation information.
• {B} , is described by , where is the vector that locates the origin of the frame {B}:

• mapping used to change descriptions from frame to frame. It involves translated frames
Ap = B p +
Mappings involving rotated frames

Ap may be calculated as
 Example

• Figure shows a frame {B} that is rotated relative to frame {A} about Zˆ by 30 degrees. Here,
Zˆ is pointing out of the page.
Soln

given:

Here, acts as a mapping that is used to describe Bp relative to frame {A}, Ap .

Mappings involving general frames

• Homogeneous transforms: are useful in writing compact equations

• mapping from one frame to another as an operator in matrix form.

E.g.. Figure shows a frame {B}, which is rotated relative to frame {A} about Zˆ by 30 degrees, translated
10 units in XA, and translated 5 units in YA. Find Ap , where Bp = [3.0 7.0 0.0] .
Soln
The definition of frame {B} is
 Transformation Arithmetic
(rotation , translation or combination of both)

• Based on the figure below : Frame {C} is known relative to frame {B}, and frame {B} is known relative to
frame {A}. We can transform Cp into Bp as

In terms of the known descriptions of {B} and {C}, we can give

the expression for as

• Inverting a transform

The left-hand side must be zero, so we have

Transformation Arithmetic
E.g. Figure shows below a frame {B} that is rotated relative to frame {A} about Zˆ by 30degrees and
translated four units in XA and three units in YA. Thus, we have a description of . Find .
The frame defining {B} is
More than one axis of Rotation

Please Check EXAMPLE 2.7 on text book

Angles?

• we see that, by taking the square root of the sum of the squares of r 11 and r21 , we can compute cos β.
Then, we can solve for β with the arc tangent of r31 over the computed cosine.
• Then, as long as cβ ≠ 0, we can solve for α by taking the arc tangent of r21/cβ over r11/cβ and we can
solve for γ by taking the arc tangent of r32/cβ over r33/cβ.
Reading assignment
• Equivalent angle–axis representation
• Euler parameters
• TRANSFORMATION OF FREE VECTORS
Written assignment
Exercise: 2.1, 2.3, 2.6, 2.12,
2.13
Submit date :for next Monday
 1.3 MANIPULATOR KINEMATICS
• Manipulator is a set of bodies (links) connected in a chain by joints (form a connection between a
neighboring pair of links)

• kinematics is the science of motion that treats the subject without regard to the forces that cause it.

• Within the science of kinematics, one studies the position, the velocity, the acceleration, and all higher
order derivatives of the position variables (with respect to time or any other variable(s)).

• It is a method to compute the position and orientation of the manipulator’s end-effector relative to the
base of the manipulator as a function of the joint variables.

• The relationships between these motions and the forces and torques that cause them constitute the
problem of dynamics.
1.3 MANIPULATOR KINEMATICS
• Most manipulators have revolute joints (single-axis rotational joints that connect two rigid links
together) or have sliding joints called prismatic joints (single axis translational joints that connect
two rigid links together ).
• The links are numbered starting from the immobile base of the arm, which might be called link 0.
The first moving body is link 1, and so on, out to the free end of the arm, which is link n.

• The kinematic function of a link is to maintain a fixed relationship between the two joint axes it supports. This
relationship can be described with two parameters: the link length, a, and the link twist, α
 1.3 MANIPULATOR KINEMATICS
link-joint description
• For the purposes of obtaining the kinematic equations of the mechanism, a link is considered only as a
rigid body that defines the relationship b/n two neighboring joint axes of a manipulator.
• Joint axes are defined by lines in space. Joint axis i is defined by a line in space, or a vector direction,
about which link i rotates relative to link i-1.
• For kinematic purposes, a link can be specified with two numbers, which define the relative location of
the two axes in space.
• The link offset, d, and the joint angle, θ, are two
parameters that may be used to describe the nature
of the connection between neighboring links.
 Intermediate link in the chain
• The distance along this common axis from one link to the
next. It is variable if joint i is prismatic link offset
• The amount of rotation about this common axis b/n one link
and its neighbor. It is variable for a revolute joint

joint angle
 1.3 MANIPULATOR KINEMATICS
link-joint description
• Link-joint pairs can be described using four parameters, two that describe the link, and two that
describe the joint.
• Link description : a robotic manipulator can contain two or more links, it can be described using
two parameters.

i. Link length(): the length along the common perpendicular line between the joints axes.

ii. Twist angle (): the angle about the common perpendicular line between the joint axes.
1.3 MANIPULATOR KINEMATICS
• E.g. find the link length(a) and the twist angle (α) for the shown link that supports two revolute
joints,

Sol. From the shown figure and dimensions: link length(a) = 0.5*2 + 5 + 0.5*2 = 7 in and twist
angle(α) = 45˚
 1.3 MANIPULATOR KINEMATICS
link joint description
• Joint description: a robotic manipulator can contain one or more joints. Joints are described using
two parameters :

i. Joint offset (): the length along the axis of motion b/n two common perpendicular lines.

ii.Joint angle (): the angle about the axis of motion b/n two common perpendicular lines.

Note: for a R. joint, is a variable & d is constant. For a prismatic joint d is a variable and is constant .
Link-joint description
 Denavit – Hartenberg (DH) parameters:
• the four link-joint para meters are defined as
DH parameters: , , ,
• One of the four parameters is a variable (d for prismatic joints,
Or for revolute joints), and the other three parameters are
constant for each link-joint pair.

• For convenience and to reduce calculations, it is preferred to

set the following parameters to zero: , and for revolute joints , and for prismatic joints
 Frame Attachment to links
• Procedure for frame assignment: (attach frame {i} to link ‘I’)
 Z-axes: assign the z-axes along the axis of rotation (for RJ) or axis of translation( for PJ).
 Frame origins: identify the common perpendicular between Z-axes, or the point of intersection b/n
them. These intersection will be the frame origins.
 X-axes: assign all x-axes starting from the frame origin and pointing towards the next joint along the
common perpendicular. If z-axes intersect, then the x-axes should be the normal to the plane that
contains the two z-axes (for look at and )
 Y-axes: assign all y-axes to complete the right-hand rule (when the hand is flat open, the thump is
pointing toward the z-axes, the four finger are pointing towards the x-axis, then moving the four fingers
90 degrees will indicate the direction of the y-axis).
• Frame {0}: assign frame {0} to match frame {1} when the first joint variables is zero. This is recommended
for convenience so that some DH parameters can be set to zero reduce calculations. Otherwise , frame
{0} can be assigned arbitrarily.
• Frame {n}: assign frame {n} such that you can cause as many DH parameters as possible to be zero.
Otherwise , frame{n} can be assigned arbitrarily.
Frame Attachment to links
Frame attachment to links
 procedure for extracting the DH parameters :
• : the distance from to along

• : the angle from to about

• the distance from to along

• the angle from to about

Special cases:

• When joint axes ( , ) intersect, the direction of can be either of the two directions.

• When joints axes ( , ) are parallel, the choice of origin for frame {i} is arbitrary, but it is
recommended to be chosen such that
Example
• Assign frame {0} to {4} for the shown non-planer 3R robotic manipulator, then find the DH
parameters table i αi-1 ai-1 di ϑi
Soln. 1 0 0 L1 ϑ1
2 90 0 0 ϑ2
3 0 L2 0 ϑ3
4 0 L3 0 0
 E.g. 2 assign frame {0} to {4} for the shown planer 3R (RRR) robotic manipulator,
then find the DH parameter table.
Soln
• Z-Axes: assign all z-axes along the axis
of rotation (for revolute joints) or axis of

i αi-1 ai-1 di ϑi
1 0 0 0 ϑ1
2 0 L1 0 ϑ2
3 0 L2 0 ϑ3
4 0 L3 0 0
Exercise : assign frames {0} to {4} for the shown RPR robotic manipulator. Then find the DH parameters table.
1.4 manipulator inverse kinematics
Introduction
• Forward kinematics: given ϑ1, ϑ2… and link length
Find
• IV kinematics: given
Find ϑ1, ϑ2… and link length
Solvability IK problems

 Existence of a solution:

• Workspace : is defined as the volume of space that the end-effector (gripper) can reach.

o For a Soln to exist, the end-effector goal must be within the workspace.

• DOF: degree of freedom are the number of independent variable in a manipulator.

o For a solution to exist, the number of joint should be more than or equal to the number of
independent Cartesian coordinate to be controlled at the end effector.
Solvability IK problems
• E.g. for the shown 2R planer manipulator, determine the conditions where an inverse kinematics
solution exists.

• Sol. For IK Soln to exist, the workspace

• boundary is determined s follows:

i. When the arm is fully stretched

(ϑ2 = 0˚) the outer workspace boundary is

(L1 + L2) frame {0} origin.

Solvability IK problems
i. When the arm is fully stretched

(ϑ2 = 180˚) the outer workspace boundary is

(L1 - L2) frame {0} origin.

For a solution to exist, the destination point for the

end - effector must be within the workspace area.