Inverse kinematic/dynamic analysis of a new 4-DOF hybrid (serial-parallel) pole climbing robot manipulator

This paper studies inverse kinematics and dynamics of a new 4-DOF hybrid (serial-parallel) manipulator. This kind of hybrid manipulator is specially designed for pole/column climbing applications with spatially bent and branching poles/columns. The proposed hybrid manipulator consists of a one-DOF rotary mechanism in series with a 3-DOF planar 3-R PR parallel mechanism. This combination provides 2 translational and 2 rotational degrees of freedom for the pole climbing robot. The inverse kinematic solution is firstly presented for the manipulator in closed forms. Then the inverse dynamic formulation is presented by the Newton-Euler approach for the proposed robot. The minimum force and moment equilibrium equations, that are essential for obtaining the actuator forces in the parallel mechanism legs and actuating moment in serial mechanism, are presented.