Exploiting the Kinematic Redundancy of a 6+3 Dofs Parallel Mechanism

This paper presents trajectory planning methods for a kinematically redundant parallel mechanism. The architecture of the mechanism is similar to the well-known Gough-Stewart platform and it retains its advantages, i.e., the members connecting the base to the moving platform are only subjected to tensile/compressive loads. The kinematic redundancy is exploited to avoid singularities and extend the rotational workspace. The architecture is described and the associated kinematic relationships are presented. Solutions for the inverse kinematics are given, as well as strategies to take into account the limitations of the mechanism such as mechanical interferences and velocity limits of the actuators while controlling the redundant degrees of freedom.