Design and Wrench-Feasible-Workspace Analysis for a Novel Cable-driven Parallel Robot with Movable Anchor Winches

Abstract

Traditional cable-driven parallel robots (T-CDPRs) typically employ multiple driving cables extending from fixed anchor points to connect with the end-effector. Once assembled, the anchor positions and the wrench feasible workspace of the CDPR are fixed and cannot be readily modified. This paper presents a spatial movable anchor winch cable-driven parallel robot (M-CDPR), whose distinctive feature lies in its ability to freely move anchor winches along enclosed circular tracks. Through modelling of the proposed CDPR, this study proposes an anchor winch reconfiguration methodology that significantly enhances the kinematic flexibility of the M-CDPR. Comparative simulation analyses of the wrench feasible workspace and orientation variation range between the M-CDPR and its fixed anchor counterpart with the identical dimensions demonstrates that the incorporation of movable anchor winches expands both the wrench feasible workspace and orientation variation range of the M-CDPR. Finally, a prototype was constructed, and relevant position control and impedance control experiments were conducted using the proposed anchor winch reconfiguration method.