Singularity Analysis and Mode-Switching Planning of a Symmetrical Multi-Arm Robot

Inspired by changing the operation mode via branch-chain switching, a symmetrical multi-arm robot is proposed to meet the demand of continuous high-performance output. The kinematics and Jacobian matrix of the mechanism are established and solved, and the parameter expression when singularity occurs is obtained. As Type-I singularity is the key limiting factor of continuous motion, a branch-chain switching and motion planning method is proposed. Numerical simulation and joint interpolation control are explained according to the pseudo-inverse matrix. The mechanism completes the switching between the executing branch chain and the branch chain to be executed to realize continuous rotation with a large angle. The results prove the feasibility of the design and the correctness of the model, proving that this method can be a reference method for the design of this kind of robot.