The Dynamics of Robot Manipulators with Wheeled Base

"A closed-form Newton-Euler dynamical model of a robot manipulator is derived. The model generalizes previous models in two respects: • It allows for multiple degrees of freedom per robotic joint • It allow for arbitrary placement of a local coordinate frame for each robotic link. The importance of such a model is that it enables a complete force for each robotic link. Forces and torques at arbitrary directions (not necessarily along or about the principal axes of motion) may be computed The generalized dynamic model is then applied to study the dynamics of a robot manipulator mounted on a wheeled platform. A particular example is analysed in detail. That is the case of non-actuated three wheel configuration, two fixed wheels at the back of the platform and one free-spinning wheels at the front. The analysis includes: 1. Development of conditions for the vehicle stability 2. Development of the kinematic and dynamic constraints under the assumption of rolling motion. 3. Study of the coupling effects between the moving manipulator and the wheels. The example is generic in the sense that it allows that formulation of a general computation procedure that checks the constraints of the system and evaluates motion trajectories of the vehicle as induced by the moving robot manipulator. "