Control Systems & Introduction to

Robotics
 Recap of prev. class
Kinematic Modeling of the
Manipulator
• Inverse Kinematics: For a given position and orientation
of the end-effector, wrt to an immobile or inertial frame of
reference, it is required to find a set of joint variables that
would bring the end-effector in the specified position and
orientation.
Direct and Inverse Kinematic
models
 Direct Kinematics
• Vector & matrix algebra used for systematic and
generalized approach to describe & represent
the location of the links of a RA wrt to fixed ref
frame of CoS.
– Rotation Matrices
• Rotation with respect to fixed axis
• Rotation with respect to an arbitrary axis
– Transformation Matrices
– D-H parameters
Rotation Matrices
Rotation Matrices Contd.
Rotation matrices
Similarly rotation wrt to y and z
 Composite rotation matrices
A series of rotation wrt to x, y, and z axis's respectively
Rotation matrix about an arbitrary axis
Rotation matrix about an arbitrary axis
contd..
 Rotation matrix with Euler Angle
representation

Three Successive rotations along three axes (XYZ) or

Three successive rotations along two axes (ZYZ)
Rotation about three axis
X-Y-Z Euler's angles
Rotation about two axis
Z-Y-Z Euler's angles
 Manipulator
• Manipulator: Consists of chain of rigid bodies or links
connected each other by joints.

Commonly used joints

 3DOF manipulator arm

A 3 DOF manipulator arm is an serial kinematic chain of three rigid bodies

with three joints and four links.

Thus, a n DOF manipulator arm consists of n+1 links including base link or
link 0.
Homogeneous Transformation
Matrix
As the rotation matrix didn’t offer
provision for translation and scaling.
HTM: Offers the representation of
point in space after rotation,
translation, scaling and perspective
transformation.
Interpretation of Homogeneous
Transformation Matrix
 Manipulator
Joint-link assignment:
Numbered from base link to end
effecter.

Link 0: Base link or supporting

link connected to ground.

Link n: End effecter

 Description of Link Parameters in a
manipulator
Below figure shows the link i and the joints associated i-1 and i.
From geometric perspective:
the link defines the relative position and orientation of joints at two ends
For two axes i-1 and i, there exists a mutual perpendicular, which gives the
shortest distance between two axes.
This shortest distance is known as link length. (Yesterday we discussed as ai-1
and that notation will be seen next) and defined as the distance between two lines
along joints i-1 and I along common perpendicular.
Description of Link Parameters in a
manipulator
Twist angle: i
The angle between projection of axis (i-1) and i, on a plane perpendicular
to common normal AB and know as link twist.
Yesterday we discussed as: i-1 the angle between lines along joints i-1 & i
measured about common perpendicular X^i-1 this notation will be seen
further.
Description of Link Parameters in a
• Twist angle
manipulator
• Link length
• Two parameters are link parameters and are constant for a
given link.
• Case 1: Straight link-link length is given physical link
dimension and twist angle is 0.
• Case 2: Straight link with twist angle 90o – in this case link
length i is 0 although physically not.

Straight link with twist angle 90o

Description of Joint Parameters in
a manipulator
Two links connected by either prismatic joint or revolute joint: the relative
position of links is measured by the displacement at the joint.

Which is either by joint distance (di) or joint angle (i)

Joint distance: The perpendicular distance between two adjacent normal ai-1
and ai
Joint angle: angle between two adjacent normal ai-1 and ai, measured in
right hand direction about axis i-1.
• Twist angle
• Link length
• Joint angle
• Joint length
Definition of a manipulator with mentioned four link
parameter and joint parameters for each link
through systematic procedure is known as Danvit-
Heartenberg notation (joint and link parameters
are known as D-H parameters)
 Determination of DH parameters
• θi is the joint angle from the X i-1 axis to the X i axis
about the Z i-1axis (using the right-hand rule).
• di is the distance from the origin of the (i-1)th
coordinate frame to the intersection of the Z i-1axis
with the X i axis along the Z i-1 axis.

Note: Joint parameters determines

the relative position of neighboring
links
 Determination of DH parameters
• a i is the shortest distance measured along
common normal between the joint axis (Z i-1and Zi
axes).
• i is the offset angle from the Z i-1 axis to the Z i
axis about the X i axis (using the right-hand rule).

Note: Link parameters determines

the structure of respective links
 D-H Representation
• Every coordinate frame is determined and established on
the basis of three rules:
• 1. The Z i-1 axis lies along the axis of motion of the i th
joint.
• 2. The X i axis is normal to the Z i-1 axis, and pointing
away from it. [Xi axis lies along the link]
• 3. The Yi axis completes the right-handed coordinate
system as required.
 Manipulator

How many coordinate

systems for the given
PUMA robotic arm?
Establishing link coordinate systems
Algorithm for link frame assignment
• The displacement of each joint-link is measure wrt to a
frame, hence zero position or home position of each link
must be clearly defined.
• Revolute joint: i =0
• Prismatic joint: the joint displacement is minimal need not
to be zero.
• Before assignment of frames, zero position of each joint
must be decided.
• Algorithm is divided into four major parts
– Steps for labelling scheme
– Steps for frame assignment to intermediate links 1 to n-1
– Steps for frame {0} assignment
– Steps for frame {n} assignment
Algorithm for link frame assignment
• Step 0: Identify and number the joints starting with base
and ending with end effector. Number the links from 0 to
n, starting with immobile base.
• Step 1: Align axis Zi with axis of joint (i+1) for i=0,1,..n-1.
– Assigning frames to intermediate links – link 1 to link n-1, for each
link repeat steps 2 and 3.
• Step 2: The Xi axis is fixed and normal to both Zi and Zi-1
and pointing outwards from Zi-1. The origin of {i} is located
at the intersection of Zi and Xi.
– Case-1: if Zi and Zi-1 intersect, chose the origin at the intersection
point. The Xi axis will be perpendicular to the plane and gives ai=0.
– Case-2: if Zi and Zi-1 parallel or lie in parallel planes then their
common normal is not uniquely defined.
• Revolute joint: then Xi is chosen along the common normal, which passes
through origin {i-1}. If prismatic then Xi chosen arbitrarily and distal end of link i.
Algorithm for link frame assignment
– Case 3: If Zi and Zi-1 coincide, the origin lies on the common axis.
• Revolute: Origin located to coincide with the origin of {i-1}, makes Xi
and Xi-1 coincides and making di=0.
• Prismatic: Xi and Xi-1 chosen to be parallel making ai=0. and the origin
is located at distal end of the link.

• Step-3: Y axis is fixed based on RHR

• Step-4: Assigning frame {0} to link 0.
– The X0 which is perpendicular to Z0 is chosen to be parallel to X1
in the home position to make 1=0.
– The origin of {0} located based on type of joint 0.
• Revolute: origin chosen at a reference to make constant parameter of di or
zero.
• Prismatic: X0 and X1 chosen to be parallel making  i=0. and the origin is
located at distal end of the link.
2DOF planar arm
Kinematic model of Cylindrical
Arm
Link frame assignment
Joint link parameters
Articulated arm (3R)
Home position
Establishing link CoS
D-H parameters
 J5

J4

J6
J3

J2

J1

Adapted from K.S. Fu

DH parameters of stanford robotic arm
Transformation from one frame to
another
Transformations Matrices
Other method
Direct kinematic model in matrix form
For an n DOF manipulator