Wrench-based analysis of cable-driven robots

Abstract

This paper introduces the available net wrench set, which is the set of all wrenches that a cable robot can apply to its surroundings without violating tension limits in the cables. This set is used as a framework for understanding and computing wrench-feasibility of a pose of the robot, allowing wrench-feasibility to be tested in the task space. The geometric properties of the available net wrench set are then exploited to permit simple geometric calculation of the boundaries of the wrench-feasible workspace. This workspace generation is extended to two other workspaces as well. Other design tools, including payload specification and failure analysis, are also presented.