Singularity loci of an orthogonal spherical two-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism

Abstract

Singularity analysis plays an important role in the design of robots, especially for parallel robots. In this paper, the direct and inverse kinematics of an orthogonal spherical two-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism is proposed based on the modified Euler angles. All the singular poses of the mechanism are achieved through the direct kinematic analysis. Self-motions, which are different from the general spherical 5R parallel mechanisms, are also discussed. Singularity loci in the joint space and Cartesian space are plotted according to the Jacobin of the mechanism. Result shows that the singularity loci at the joint space are two circles and one line, whereas at the Cartesian space are a circle.

Keywords

2-DOF orthogonal spherical parallel mechanism / singularity loci / self-motions