Robotics 1

Minimal representations of orientation

(Euler and roll-pitch-yaw angles)
Homogeneous transformations

Prof. Alessandro De Luca

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 “Minimal” representations

!  rotation matrices: 9 elements

- 3 orthogonality relationships
inverse problem
- 3 unitary relationships
direct problem

= 3 independent variables

!  sequence of 3 rotations around independent axes

!  fixed (ai) or moving/current (a’i) axes
!  generically called Roll-Pitch-Yaw (fixed axes) or Euler (moving axes) angles
!  12 + 12 possible different sequences (e.g., XYX)
!  actually, only 12 since
{(a1 !1), (a2 !2), (a3 !3)} " { (a’3 !3) , (a’2 !2), (a’1 !1)}
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 ZX’Z’’ Euler angles
1 z"z’ z’ 2
z’’
y’’
% y’ RF”
RF’
& y’ Rx’(&) =
RF
& 1 0 0
y
0 cos & -sin &
x % x’ x’"x’’ 0 sin & cos &$
cos % $- $sin % $0
Rz(%) = sin % $ cos % $0 3 z’’"z’’’
y’’’
0 0 1 y’’
#
RF”’
cos # $- $sin # $0
Rz” (#) = sin # $ cos # $0
x’’ x’’’
0 0 1 #
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 ZX’Z’’ Euler angles
!  direct problem: given % , & , # ; find R
RZX’Z’’ (%, &, #) = RZ (%) RX’ (&) RZ’’ (#)
order of definition c% c# - s% c& s# - c% s# - s% c& c# s% s&
in concatenation = s% c# + c% c& s# - s% s# + c% c& c# - c% s&
s& s# s& c# c&
!  given a vector v”’= (x”’,y”’,z”’) expressed in RF”’, its
expression in the coordinates of RF is
v = RZX’Z’’ (%, &, #) v”’
!  the orientation of RF”’ is the same that would be obtained with
the sequence of rotations:
# around z, & around x (fixed), % around z (fixed)

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 ZX’Z’’ Euler angles
!  inverse problem: given R = {rij}; find % , & , #

r11 r12 r13 c% c# - s% c& s# - c% s# - s% c& c# s% s&

r21 r22 r23 = s% c# + c% c& s# - s% s# + c% c& c# - c% s&
r31 r32 r33 s& s# s& c# c&

!  r132 + r232 = s2&, r33 = c& ' & = ATAN2{ ± ( r132 + r232, r33 }
two values differing just for the sign
!  if r132 + r232 ) 0 (i.e., s& ) 0)
r31/s& = s# , r32/s& = c# ' # = ATAN2{ r31/s&, r32/s& }
!  similarly... % = ATAN2{ r13/s&, -r23/s& }
!  there is always a pair of solutions
!  there are always singularities (here & = 0, ± *)
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 Roll-Pitch-Yaw angles
PITCH
1 ROLL z’ 2
z z’’
z’ y’’
# y’ C1RY(&)C1T
y’ & with RY(&) =
& y cos & 0 sin &
y x’ 0 1 0
# x’’ - sin & 0 cos &$
x"x’
3 YAW z y’’’
1 0 0 z’’ %
RX(#) = 0 cos # - sin # y’’
0 sin # cos #

C2RZ(%)C2T z’’’
cos % $- $ sin % 0
with RZ(%) = sin % $ cos % 0
0 0 1 x’’ % x’’’
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 Roll-Pitch-Yaw angles (fixed XYZ)
!  direct problem: given # , & , % ; find R
RRPY (#, &, %) = RZ (%) RY (&) RX (#) 䋹 note the order of products!
order of definition c% c& c% s& s# - s% c# c% s& c# + s% s#
= s% c& s% s& s# + c% c# s% s& c# - c% s#
- s& c& s# c& c#
!  inverse problem: given R = {rij}; find # , & , %
!  r322 + r332 = c2&, r31 = -s& ' & = ATAN2{-r31, ± ( r322 + r332}
for r31<0, two symmetric values w.r.t. */2
!  if r322 + r332 ) 0 (i.e., c& ) 0)
r32/c& = s#, r33/c& = c# ' # = ATAN2{r32/c&, r33/c&}
!  similarly ... % = ATAN2{ r21/c&, r11/c& }
!  singularities for & = ± */2
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 …why this order in the product?
RRPY (#, &, %) = RZ (%) RY (&) RX (#)
“reverse” order in the product
order of definition
(pre-multiplication…)

!  need to refer each rotation in the sequence to one of the

original fixed axes
!  use of the angle/axis technique for each rotation in the
sequence: C R(!) CT, with C being the rotation matrix reverting
the previously made rotations (= go back to the original axes)

concatenating three rotations: [ ] [ ] [ ] (post-multiplication…)

RRPY (#, &, %) = [RX (#)] [RXT(#) RY (&) RX (#)]
[RXT(#) RYT(&) RZ (%) RY (&) RX (#)]
= RZ (%) RY (&) RX (#)
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 Homogeneous transformations
P “applied” position vector
“applied” position vector •  (with specific origin) ⇔ p0BP
(with specific origin) ⇔ p0AP Bp
Ap
RFB
Ap ‘affine’ relationship
AB OB
“applied” position vector
(with specific origin) ⇔ p0A0B Ap = ApAB + ARB Bp
RFA OA

Ap AR Ap Bp
B AB linear
Ap
hom = = = ATB Bphom relationship
1 0 0 0 1 1

vector in homogeneous 4x4 matrix of

coordinates homogeneous transformation
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 Properties of T matrix

!  describes the relation between reference frames

(relative pose = position & orientation)
!  transforms the representation of a position vector
(applied vector starting from the origin of the frame)
from a given frame to another frame
!  it is a roto-translation operator on vectors in the
three-dimensional space
!  it is always invertible (ATB)-1 = BTA
!  can be composed, i.e., AT
C = ATB BTC + note: it does
not commute!
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 Inverse of a
homogeneous transformation

Ap = ApAB + ARB Bp Bp = BpBA + BRA Ap = - ARBT ApAB + ARBT Ap

AR Ap BR Bp AR T - ARBT ApAB
B AB A BA B
=
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

AT BT (ATB)-1
B A

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 Defining a robot task
yE absolute definition
of task
RFE task definition relative
to the robot end-effector
zE
RFB WT
2 •  T = WTB BTE ETT
RFT 1 • 
• 3
known, once
the robot direct kinematics of the
is placed robot arm (function of q)
RFW

BT (q) = WT -1 WT ET -1 = constant
E B T T

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 Example of task definition
yE •  the robot carries a depth camera
(e.g., a Kinect) on the end-effector
•  the end-effector should go to a pose
RFE above the point P on the table,
pointing its approach axis downward
zT zE and being aligned with the table sides
RFB # 1 0 0&
RFT P •  E
R T= ( E x T E
yT E
z T ) = % 0 "1 0(
% (
$ 0 0 "1'
•  point P is known in the table frame RFT
RFW
"p %
x

" TR E T ! T
p = py '
$
E -1 T p TE % $ '
T = TE = $ T
T ' #0&
# 0 1 &
•  the depth camera proceeds centering
T T
R E = ( ER T ) = ER T point P in its image until it senses
with
a distance h from the table (in RFE)
!
#p & "0%
! x
T
p TE = p " R E p = p y (
T T E % E
p = $0'
% ( $ '
! $ h' #h&
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 Final comments on T matrices
!  they are the main tool for computing the direct kinematics
of robot manipulators
!  they are used in many application areas (in robotics and
beyond)
b
!  in positioning/orienting a vision camera (matrix T with extrinsic
c
parameters of the camera pose)
!  in computer graphics, for the real-time visualization of 3D solid
objects when changing the observation point

AR Ap
B AB
AT =
B
!x !y !z !

all zero coefficients of scaling always unitary

in robotics perspective coefficient in robotics

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deformation 14