Mechatronic Design and Control of a 3-RPS Parallel Manipulator

This paper deals with the mechatronic design and control of a 3-RPS (Revolute-Prismatic-Spherical) parallel manipulator, which moving platform has three d.o.f.s, one translation and two rotations. Each of the three legs connects the fixed with the moving platform through a revolute and a spherical joint, respectively, while each prismatic joint consists of a DC electromechanical actuator. A prototype was built and experimentally tested by devoting particular attention to the control of the electric drives, as based on the technique of the Path-Step-Diagrams, which is commonly used for controlling pneumatic cylinders.