Common coordinate

transformations
Frame assignments using DH
conventions
 Coordinate Transformations
End-effector

Z Base

Supply

Table

Goal
X Y
 Coordinate Transformations

End-effector

Base

Supply

Goal

Table
Coordinate Transformations

Robot forward
kinematic model
Relative Pose between 2 links

i-1
 Relative Pose between 2 links
Frames can be chosen arbitrarily
Denavit-Hartenberg convention is used to assign frames
described in 3.2.2 of Spong, Hutchinson, Vidyasagar Text
Iterative process (start at base, assign frames for each link
from base to end-effector)
 DH Frame assignment
Frame {i} moves with link i when joint i is actuated
Zi axis is along joint axis i+1
Zi is axis of actuation for joint i+1
Zi

Link i-1
Link i+1
Link i

Zi-1
 DH convention: Assign Z axes
Use actuation as a guide
Prismatic joint slides along zi
Revolute joint rotates around zi
Establish base frame {0}:
Nearly arbitrary

Start at base and assign frames 1,,N

Pick x-axis and origin
y-axis chosen to form a right hand system
 Robot Base
Often base is given or some fixed point on the work-table is
used.
z0 is along joint axis 1
Original:
any point on z0 for origin
Modified DH:
{0} is defined to be completely co-incident with the reference system {1},
when the variable joint parameter, d1 or q1 , is zero.
 DH convention: Assign X axes
Start at base and assign frames 1,,N
Pick x-axis and origin
y-axis chosen to form a right hand system
Consider 3 cases for zi-1 and zi:
Not-coplanar
Parallel
Intersect
 DH convention: x axis
zi-1 and zi are not-coplanar
Common normal to axes is the link axis

Intersection with zi is origin

Usually, xi points
from frame i-1 to
i

zi-1 Xi
zi
 DH convention: x axis

zi and zi-1 are parallel

Infinitely many common normals
Pick one to be the link axis
Choose normal that passes through origin of frame {i-1}
pointing toward zi
Origin is intersection of xi with zi
Xi

zi-1 zi
 DH convention: x axisz
If joint axes zi-1 and zi intersect, xi i
is normal to the plane containing
the axes

xi = (zi-1 zi )

link i
zi-1
Xi
 DH convention: Origin non-coplanar Z
Origin of frame {i} is placed at intersection of joint axis and link
axis

zi

xi
 DH convention: y axis
Yi is chosen to make a right hand frame

Zi
xi points from Yi
frame i-1 to i

xi
 DH convention: Origin parallel Z
zi and zi-1 are parallel
Origin is intersection of xi with zi

zi-1 zi

xi
 DH convention: x axis - parallel Z
zi and zi-1 are parallel
Origin is intersection of xi with zi
Yi is chosen to make a right hand frame

yi
zi-1 zi

xi
 DH convention: origin
If joint axes intersect, the origin of
frame {i} is usually placed at
intersection of the joint axes

zi

zi-1
link i

xi
 DH convention: y axis

Yi is chosen to make a
right hand frame

zi

zi-1 yi
link i

xi
 Link Parameters ai+1
Zi
Zi
Zi-1
Zi+1

Link i

ai

ai+1
ai
 Joint Parameters
qi

di+1
qi+1
di

qi
 Original DH
-1

Frame is placed at distal

end of link

zi-1 screw motion xi screw motion

DH Frames and Parameters
Robot Revolute Joint DH
Prismatic Joint DH
 Link Transformations
Described by 4 parameters:
ai : twist
ai : link length
di : joint offset
qi : joint angle
Joint variable is di or qi
Build Table with values for each link:
Link Var q d a a
1 q1 q1 0 90o L1
2 d2 0 d2 0 0

 Link Transformations
Described by 4 parameters:
ai : twist
ai : link length
di : joint offset
qi : joint angle
Joint variable is di or qi
Link Transformation is

zi-1 screw motion xiscrew motion

 A-matrices
Ai = contains only one variable
or

Equation 3.10 in Spong,

Hutchinson, Vidyasagar
 Original DH
-1

Frame is placed at distal

end of link

zi-1 screw motion xi screw motion

 Modified DH
Zi+1

Zi
Zi+2

zi yi

Frame is placed at
xi proximal end of link

xi-1 screw motion zi screw motion

Modified DH text figure
 DH Example
3 revolute joints
Shown in home position
joint 1

R
Link 2

Link 1 Link 3

joint 2 joint 3

L1 L2
 DH Example
Zi is axis of actuation for joint i+1

Z0 Z0 and Z1 are not co-planar

Z1 and Z2 are parallel
q1

q2 q3
Z1 Z2
 DH Example:
Z0 and Z1 are not co-planar:
x0 is the common normal
Z0

q1
x1 x2 x3

x0

q2 q3
Z1 Z3
Z2
 DH Example:
Z0 and Z1 are not co-planar:
x0 is the common normal
Z0

q1
x1 x2 x3

x0

q2 q3
Z1 Z3
Z2

Z1 and Z2 are parallel :

x1 is selected as the common normal
that lies along the center of the link
 DH Example:
Z0 and Z1 are not co-planar:
x0 is the common normal
Z0

q1
x1 x2 x3

x0

q2 q3
Z1 Z3
Z2

Z2 and Z3 are parallel :

x2 is selected as the common normal
that lies along the center of the link
 DH Example:
Shown with joints in non-zero positions

Z0 x3
z3
q2 q3
x2

x1
q1 Z2
x0

Z1

Observe that frame i moves with link i

 DH Example:
Link lengths given
a1 = 90o (rotate by 90o around x0 to align
Z0 and Z1)
R
Z0
L1 L2

x1 x2 x3

a1 x0

Z1 Z3
Z2
 DH Example:
Build table

R
Z0

L1 L2
q1
x1 x2 x3

a1 x0

q2 q3
Z1 Z3
Z2

Link Var q d a a
1 q1 q1 0 90o R
2 q2 q2 0 0 L1
3 q3 q3 0 0 L2
 DH Example:
Link Var q d a a
1 q1 q1 0 90o R
2 q2 q2 0 0 L1
3 q3 q3 0 0 L2
DH Example:
 z0
DH Example: x3
z3
q2 q3
x2

x1
q1 z2
x0

z1

x1 axis expressed y1 axis expressed z1 axis expressed

wrt {0} wrt {0} wrt {0}

Origin of {1}
w.r.t. {0}
 z0
DH Example: x3
z3
q2 q3
x2

x1
q1 z2
x0

z1

x2 axis expressed y2 axis expressed z2 axis expressed

wrt {1} wrt {1} wrt {1}

Origin of {2}
w.r.t. {1}
 z0
DH Example: x3
z3
q2 q3
x2

x1
q1 z2
x0

z1

x3 axis expressed y3 axis expressed z3 axis expressed

wrt {2} wrt {2} wrt {2}

Origin of {3}
w.r.t. {2}
 DH Example:

where
DH Example: alternate end-effector frame
Zi is axis of actuation for joint i+1
Z0 Z0 and Z1 are not co-planar
Z1 and Z2 are parallel
q1

q3 Pick this z3
q2
Z1 Z2
DH Example: alternate end-effector frame

Z0
y2
q1
x1
x2

a1 x0
Z3

q2 q3
Z1 Z2
Would need to
rotate about y2
here!
DH Example: alternate end-effector frame

Z0
x2

q1
x1
x2

a1 x0
Z3

q2 q3
Z1
Solution: Add offset to
rotation about z2
(q3+90o )
DH Example: alternate end-effector frame

Z0
x2
L2 x3
q1
x1
x2

a1 x0
Z3

q2 q3
Z1 Z2
Now can rotate
about x to align
z2 and z3
DH Example: alternate end-effector frame

Link Var q d a a
1 q1 q1 0 90o R
2 q2 q2 0 0 L1
3 q3 q3 +90o 0 90o 0
e - L2
DH Example: alternate end-effector frame
x3
R
Z0
x2
L1 L2 Z3
q1
x1
x2

a1 x0

q2 q3
Z1 Z2

Link Var q d a a
1 q1 q1 0 90o R
2 q2 q2 0 0 L1
3 q3 q3 +90o 0 90o 0
DH Example: alternate end-effector frame
x3

R
Z0
x2
L1 L2 Z3
q1
x1
x2

a1 x0
Z3

q2 q3
Z1 Z2
DH Example: alternate end-effector frame
x3

R
Z0
x2
L1 L2 Z3
q1
x1
x2

a1 x0
Z3

q2 q3
Z1 Z2
DH Example: alternate end-effector frame
x3

R
Z0
x2
L1 L2 Z3
q1
x1
x2

a1 x0
Z3

q2 q3
Z1 Z2