A Design and Classification Study for Some Families of 3R Manipulators with Geometric Simplifications

Certain categories of 3R non-generic manipulators the so called ortho-parallel robots are studied. The goal of this paper is to reveal the impact of some DH parameters of these manipulators on their kinematic performance. Workspace and joint space topologies are illustrated for different DH parameters. Kinematic performance indices such as manipulability and dexterity are explored throughout the workspace. A novel criterion of dexterity taking into account the maximal rapport of good kinematic performance zone to workspace is proposed. An analysis of the parameter space domains is performed to determine the most suitable manipulator architectures based on the chosen criteria.