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In this paper, a novel four degrees-of-freedom (4DOF) articulated parallel forceps mechanism with a large orientation workspace (± 90 deg in pitch and yaw, 360 deg in roll rotations) is presented for robotic minimally invasive surgery. The proposed 3RSR-1UUP parallel mechanism utilizes a UUP center leg that can convert thrust motion of the 3RSR mechanism into gripping motion. This design eliminates the need for an additional gripper actuator, but also introduces the problem of unintentional gripper opening/closing due to parasitic motion of the 3RSR mechanism. Here, position kinematics of the proposed mechanism, including the workspace, is analyzed in detail, and a solution to the parasitic motion problem is provided. Human-in-the-loop simulations with a haptic interface are also performed to confirm the feasibility of the proposed design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new trajectory planning method based on the improved quintic B-splines curves for a three degrees-of-freedom (3-DOF) cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR). First, the conditions of positive cables’ tension are expressed in terms of the position and acceleration constraints of the end-effector. Then, an improved B-spline curve is introduced, which is employed for generating a pick-and-place path by interpolating a set of given via-points. Meanwhile, by expressing the position and acceleration of the end-effector in terms of the first and second derivatives of the improved B-spline, the cable tension constraints are described in the form of B-spline parameters. According to the properties of the defined pick-and-place path, the proposed motion profile is dominated by two factors: the time taken for the end-effector to pass through all the via-points and the ratio between the nodes of B-spline. The two factors are determined through multi-objective optimization based on the efficiency coefficient method. Finally, experimental results on a 3-DOF CDPR show that the improved B-spline exhibits overall superior behavior in terms of velocity, acceleration, and cables force compared with the traditional B-spline. The validity of the proposed trajectory planning method is proved through the experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A four degrees-of-freedom (DOF) Parallel Manipulator (PM) with a 4 P Pa-2PaR configuration has been proposed to generate 3-DOF Translational and 1-DOF Rotational (3T1R) motions in our early work. It has the advantages of symmetric geometry, simple kinematics and infinite extension of translational workspace along its linear guide direction. However, its V-type assembly mode results in a long distance between its moving platform and the base, which makes its stiffness and accuracy lower. Besides, its the other two translational workspaces are limited due to its kinematic singularities. To overcome such limitations, the PM is modified by utilizing its M-type assembly mode and placing an offset angle to the last parallelogram mechanism. To simplify the displacement analysis, a geometrical projection method is employed, while a closed-loop vector approach is used for its instantaneous kinematic analysis. Both singularity and workspace issues are investigated. An optimization algorithm based on Genetic Algorithm is proposed to maximize the reachable workspace. The optimization result indicates that the workspace is significantly increased. A prototype of the M-type PM is fabricated to validate the effectiveness of the modified design. • A modified 4-DOF 3T1R parallel manipulator with M-type assembly mode is proposed. • An offset angle is placed to the last parallelogram to enlarge the workspace. • A geometrical projection method is employed to simplify the kinematic analysis. • The workspace in x – o – z plane is significantly increased through design optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]