A robust forward-displacement analysis of spherical parallel robots

The forward-displacement analysis of spherical parallel robots (SPRs) is revisited. A robust approach, based on the input–output (I/O) equation of spherical four-bar linkages, is proposed. In this approach, the closed-loop kinematic chain of a SPR is partitioned into two four-bar spherical chains, whose I/O equations are at the core of the analysis reported here. These equations lead to a trigonometric equation in the joint angles, which is solved semigraphically to obtain the joint variables for the determination of the moving plate orientation. Examples are included to demonstrate the application of the method.