On the design of serial manipulators with decoupled dynamics

This paper deals with the problem of dynamic decoupling of serial manipulators via inertia parameter design. The goal is to simplify the controller design by reducing the effects of complicated manipulator dynamics. The added complementary links allow the optimal redistribution of kinetic and potential energies, which leads to the linearization and decoupling of the dynamic equations. The determination of the parameters of the added links is based on eliminating coefficients of nonlinear terms in the manipulator’s kinetic and potential energy equations. The proposed decoupling concept is achieved by adding secondary gears and rotation transmissions. The suggested design methodology is illustrated by simulations carried out using the software ADAMS. The proposed solution permits the dynamic decoupling of the serial manipulators with a relatively small increase in the total mass of the moving links. It provides an improvement in the known design solutions, rendering them more suitable for practical applications.