Abstract
Kinematics of a free-floating space-robot system is a fundamental and complex subject. Problems at the position level, however, are not considered sufficiently because of the nonholonomic property of the system. Current methods cannot handle these problems simply and efficiently. A novel and systematical modeling approach is provided; forward and inverse kinematics at the position level are deduced based on the product of exponentials (POE) formula and conservation of linear momentum. The whole deduction process is concise and clear. More importantly, inertial tensor parameters are not introduced. Then, three situations with different known variables are mainly studied. Due to the complexity of inverse kinematical equations, a numerical method is proposed based on Newton’s iteration method. Two calculation examples are given, a dual-arm planar model and a single-arm spatial model; both forward and inverse kinematical solutions are given, while inverse kinematical results are compared with simulation results of Adams. The results indicate that the proposed methods are quite accurate and efficient.
Highlights
Kinematics is a basic subject of robotics
This paper focused on the kinematics of a free-floating space-robot system at the position level, aimed at developing a simple and efficient method
Forward and inverse kinematical equations of a free-floating space-robot system at the position level are established based on the product of exponentials (POE) formula and conservation of linear momentum, without employing inertial tensors
Summary
Kinematics is a basic subject of robotics. It includes forward and inverse kinematics at the position and the velocity (differential) level. GJM is derived by using the momentum conservation and geometrical relations; it contains inertial parameters of the system This method is largely used to build the dynamic model of space robots [6,7,8]. Screw theory is an efficient alternative to analysis kinematics of a rigid body and mechanism It was first systematized by R.S. Ball, employed and improved for study on ground-based manipulators [15, 16] and parallel robots [17, 18]. Forward and inverse kinematical equations of a free-floating space-robot system at the position level are established based on the POE formula and conservation of linear momentum, without employing inertial tensors. The entire approach can be applied to space robots at freefloating mode without regard to the number of arms
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