ROBOTICS: ROBOT MORPHOLOGY

Josep Amat and Alícia Casals

Automatic Control and Computer Engineering Department
 Components of a Robot

User
External
Environment Sensors

Programming

Internal Net
Sensors

Control Unit

Actuators
Mechanical Structure
 Chapter 2. Robot Morphology

Basic characteristics:
- Kinematics chain
- Degree of freedom
- Maneuvering degree
- Architecture
- Precision
- Working space
- Accessibility
- Payload
 Degrees of freedom

Degrees of freedom correspond to the number of

actuators that produce different robot movements
DoF
A joint adds a degree of freedom to the manipulator
structure, if it offers a new movement to the end
effector that can not be produced by any other joint
or a combination of them.
 Degrees of freedom

Positioning
Positioning the end
effector in the 3D space, P
requires three DoF, either
obtained from rotations or Reference
frame origin
z
displacements.
x
y
 Degrees of freedom

roll
Orientation

Orienting the end effector in

the 3D space, requires three P tilt
additional DoF to produce pan
the three rotations.
Reference
frame origin
z
x
y
 Chapter 2. Robot Morphology

Basic characteristics:
- Kinematics chain
- Degree of freedom
- Maneuvering degree
- Architecture
- Precision
- Working space
- Accessibility
- Payload
 Maneuvering degree

Maneuvering degree is the number of actuators

that although producing new movements do not
contribute to new degrees of freedom.
Degrees of maneuverability (redundant)

Forced access
(without redundancy) Multiple access
(with redundant DoF)
 Chapter 2. Robot Morphology

Basic characteristics:
- Kinematics chain
- Degree of freedom
- Maneuvering degree
- Architecture
- Precision
- Working space
- Accessibility
- Payload
 Robot architecture

Robot architecture is the combination and

disposition of the different kind of joints that
configure the robot kinematical chain.
 Mechanical Structure
Kinematics chain: Sequence of rigid elements linked
through active joints in order to perform a task efficiently

Open: Closed (Parallel):

 Nomenclature:

Elbow
Arm
Wrist

Shoulder
Trunk

Base
Characteristics derived from the mechanical structure:

• Degrees of freedom
• Work Space
• Accessibility
• Payload
• Precision
Characteristics derived from the mechanical structure:

• Degrees of freedom
Tridimensional positioning: (x,y,z )
Minimum: 3 Degrees of freedom
Characteristics derived from the mechanical structure:

• Degrees of freedom



Positioning + orientation: (x,y,z,,, )

Minimum: 3 + 3 Degrees of freedom

Architecture: Configuration and kind of

articulations of the kinematical chain that
determine the working volume and accessibility
 Kind of possible joints:

In red, those usually used in robotics as they can be motorized without problems
 Basic characteristics. Definitions
• Degrees of freedom:
Number of complementary movements.

• Movement capability:
Working volume, Accessibility and Maneuvering

• Movement precision:
Resolution, Repetitiveness, Precision and Compliance

• Dynamical characteristics:
Payload, Speed and Stability
 Movement precision
Precision (Accuracy)
• Capacity to place the end effector into a given position and orientation
(pose) within the robot working volume, from a random initial position.

 increases with the distance to the robot axis.

y
Precision depends on:
• Mechanical play (backlash) Coordinates

• Sensors offset
of the target
x
• Sensors resolution
• Misalignments in the position
and size of rigid elements,
specially the end-effector E.E.
Points reached in different tests
 Movement precision
Precision (Accuracy)
• Capacity to place the end effector into a given position and orientation
(pose) within the robot working volume, from a random initial position.

 increases with the distance

to the robot axis. y
Coordinates
of the target
x

 offset Precision
+R
 Movement precision
Repetitiveness
• Capacity to place the end effector into a given position and orientation
(pose) within the robot working volume, from a given initial position.

Repetitiveness

y error

Repetitiveness depends on:

• Mechanical play (backlash) Coordinates

• Target position
of the target
x
• Speed and direction when
reaching the target
Precision
+R
 Movement precision (Statics)
Resolution:
• Minimal displacement the EE can achieve and / or the control unit can
measure.
• Determined by mechanical joints and the number of bits of the
sensors tied to the robot joints.
Error resolution of the sensor = Measurement Rank /
2n
 Mechanical Structure
Joint 1
Joint 1
Joint 4

Joint 3
Joint 2

Joint 5

Joint 3 Joint 4 Joint 2

Joint 5
Joint 6

Examples of Joints (movements between articulated bodies)

Example of a section of a working volume
 Architectures

Architecture: Configuration and kind of

articulations of the kinematical
chain that determine the working
volume and accessibility

Classical Architectures: Cartesian

Cylindrical
Polar
Angular
 Classical Architectures

Cartesian Work Space (D+D+D)

 Classical Architectures

Example of a Cartesian Work Space Robot (D+D+D)

 Classical Architectures

Cylindrical Work Space (R+D+D)

 Classical Architectures

Example of a Cylindrical Work Space Robot (R+D+D)

 Classical Architectures

Polar Work Space (R+R+D)

 Classical Architectures

Example of a Polar Work Space Robot (R+R+D)

 Classical Architectures

Angular Work Space (R+R+D)

 Classical Architectures

Angular Work Space (R+R+R)

 Classical Architectures

Example of Angular Work Space Robots (R+R+R)

Working space of a robot with angular joints
Inverted robot: Increase the useful working volume
 Architecture “SCARA”
Architecture R-R-D with cylindrical coordinates
( SCARA: Selective Compliance Assembly Robotic Arm )
SCARA Robot :
examples
Resume Cartesian Robot Characteristics
Robot Joints Observations
Cartesian 1a. Linear: X Advantages:
:
2a. Linear: Y  linear movement in three dimensions
 simple kinematical model
3a. Linear: Z
 rigid structure
 easy to display
 possibility of using pneumatic actuators,
which are cheap, in pick&place
operations
 constant resolution
Drawbacks:
 requires a large working volume
 the working volume is smaller than
the robot volume (crane structure)
 requires free area between the robot
and the object to manipulate
 guides protection
Resume Cylindrical Robot Characteristics
Robot Joints Observations
Cylindrical 1a. Rotation:  Advantages:
2a. Linear: Z  simple kinematical model
 easy to display
3a. Linear: 
 good accessibility to cavities and
open machines
 large forces when using hydraulic
actuators

Drawbacks:
 restricted working volume
 requires guides protection (linear)
 the back side can surpass the
working volume
Resume Polar Robot Characteristics
Robot Joints Observations
Polar 1a. Rotation:  Advantages:
2a. Rotation:   large reach from a central support
3a. Linear: 
 It can bend to reach objects on the floor

 motors 1 and 2 close to the base

Drawbacks:
 complex kinematics model
 difficult to visualize
Resume Angular Robot Characteristics
Robot Joints Observations
Angular 1a. rotation 1 :
Advantages:
2a. rotation 2  maximum flexibility
 large working volume with respect
3a. rotation 3
to the robot size
 joints easy to protect (angular)
 can reach the upper and lower side of an object

Drawbacks:

 complex kinematical model

 difficult to display
 linear movements are difficult
 no rigid structure when stretched
Resume SCARA Robot Characteristics

Robot Joints Observations

SCARA 1a. rotation 1 :
Advantages:
2a. rotation 2
• high speed and precision
3a. rotation 3

Drawbacks:

• only vertical access

 Dynamic Characteristics
Payload:
• The load (in Kg) the robot is able to transport in a continuous and
precise way (stable) to the most distance point
• The values usually used are the maximum load and nominal at
acceleration = 0
• The load of the End-Effector is not included.

Example of Map of admitted

loads, in function of the
distance to the main axis
 Dynamic Characteristics
Velocity

• Maximum speed (mm/sec.) to which the robot can move the End-Effector.
• It has to be considered that more than a joint is involved.
• If a joint is slow, all the movements in which it takes part will be slowed down.
• For shorts movements it can be more interesting the measure of acceleration.

speed
Vmax

Long
movement
Short
movements

time
 Architectures

- Classical Architectures: Cartesian

Cylindrical
Polar
Angular

- Special configurations
Special Configurations. Pendulum Robot GGD
Example of a Pendulum Robot RRD
 Special Configurations. Elephant Trunk

Concatenated Degrees of
Classical Degrees of freedom freedom (elephant trunk)
 Special Configurations. Elephant Trunk

Concatenated Degrees of
Classical Degrees of freedom freedom (elephant trunk)
Special Configurations. Elephant Trunk

Increase of accessibility
Special Configurations. Elephant Trunk

Distributed Degrees of Freedom.

Elephant Trunk Examples Applications
Special Configurations. Stewart Platform

+ X, + Y, +Z

+ , + , +

6 Displacements  6 DoF.
Platform “Stewart” Example

Workspace
Example of
“Stewart” Robot
Robots

6 Rotations  6 DoF.
 Movement capabilities
1. Working volume (Workspace):
• Set of positions reachable by the robot end-effector.
• Shape is more important than the volume (m3)

2. Accessibility:
• Capacity to change the orientation at a given position.
• Strongly depend on the joint limits.
3. Maneuverability
• Capacity to reach a given position and orientation (pose) from
different paths (different configurations).
• Usually implies the presence of redundant joints
(degrees of manipulability or degrees of redundancy).
- Coupled movements
- Decoupled movements
 Coupled movements

The rotation of a link is propagated to the rest of the chain

 Decoupled movements

The rotation of a link is not propagated to the rest of the chain

Mechanical decoupling architectures

l1 l2

 l1
l2

Decoupling achieved with a

parallelepiped structure
Example of a decoupled structure
with a parallelepiped structure
Mechanical decoupling solutions
l2
l1
 l1

l2

Structure decoupled with connecting rods

 Decoupling with connecting rods



By transmitting the movement with connecting rods, the

rotation of a joint does not propagates to the following.
 Decoupling with connecting rods





By transmitting the movement with connecting rods, the

rotation of a joint does not propagates to the following.
 Decoupling with connecting rods


  
 

Transmission with connecting rods through two

consecutive joints maintains the orientation of the E.E.
Mechanical decoupling solutions

Structure decoupled with chains

 Decoupling with chains

 

Transmission movements with chains

 Decoupling with chains

 

Transmission systems with chains

produce decoupled movements
Points potentially weak in mechanical design

Weak points Mechanical correction

 Increase rigidness
Permanent deformation
of the whole structure  Weight reduction
and the components  Counterweight

 Increase rigidness
 Reduction of the mass
Dynamic deformation to move
 Weight distribution

 Reduce gear clearances

Backlash
 Use more rigid
transmission elements
Points potentially weak in the mechanical design

Weak points Mechanical correction

Axes clearance  Use pre stressed axes

 Improve clearance in axes

Friction
 Increase lubrication

Thermal effects  Isolate heat source

 Improve mechanical
Bad transducers connection
connection  Search for a better location
 Protect the environment