System Modelling and Notation

This chapter summarizes the notation and system modelling concepts which will be used throughout this book in the formulation of the kinematic and dynamic relationships for robotic mechanisms. The assignment of coordinate frames is briefly discussed, and the kinematic and dynamic parameters of a robotic mechanism are defined. Two important modelling tools are also discussed in this chapter: (1) spatial notation, and (2) a general joint model. Spatial notation was introduced by Featherstone in [7], and a modified form of this notation is used here. Spatial notation allows the user to condense the equations describing a physical system into a concise and elegant form. The physical relationships of the system are not changed, but the simplified format makes the corresponding equations easier to manipulate and often leads to gains in computational efficiency.