Systematic dynamic modelling of mechanical systems containing kinematic loops

Abstract

In this tutorial paper a systematic procedure is presented to obtain the dynamic models of mechanical systems containing kinematic loops, with a main emphasis on efficiency and with particular regard to robotic systems. The procedure retains a minimal set of generalized coordinates for the corresponding open loop structure, obtained by removing some additional constraints closing loops in the original structure, while adopting an efficient Newton-Euler formulation of the equations of motion. Two methods for including the loop closure equations are then discussed: the Lagrange multipliers method and the method based on an explicit solution of the constraint equations. In the first case the dynamic model is given in the form of an implicit Differential Algebraic Equations (DAE) system, while in the second case an Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE) system could be obtained. ©Swets & Zeitlinger.