Dedicated Dynamic Parameter Identification for Delta-Like Robots

Dynamics simulation of parallel kinematic manip- ulators (PKM) and non-linear control methods require a pre- cisely identified dynamics model and explicit generalized mass matrix. Standard methods, which identify so-called dynamic base- parameters, are not sufficient to this end. Algorithms for identifying the complete set of dynamic parameters were proposed for serial manipulators. A dedicated identification method for PKM does not exist, however. Such a method is introduced here for the large class of Delta-like PKM exploiting the parallel structure and making use of model simplifications specific to this class. The proposed method guarantees physical consistency of the identified parameters, and in particular a positive definite generalized mass matrix. The method is applied to a simulated model with exactly known parameters, which allows for verification of the obtained dynamic parameters. The results show that the generalized mass matrix, the acceleration, and the Coriolis, gravitation and friction terms in the equations of motion (EOM) are well approximated. The second example is a real 4-DOF industrial Delta robot ABB IRB 360-6/1600. For this robot, a physically consistent set of inertia and friction parameters is identified from measurements. The method allows prescribing estimated parameters, but does not rely on such data, e.g. from manufacturer or CAD.