D-H Convention 8
-9
X
1
Z
1
d
2
d
4
X
5
Z
2
Z
5
Z
3
Z
4
X
2
X
0
Y
4
Y
3
Y
1
Y
0
X
3
X
4
Y
2
Y
5
q
5
q
3
q
1
Z
0
FIGURE 8.6 D-H notation for a five-degrees-of-freedom robot arm manipulator.
joints 1, 3, and 5 are revolute, the θ
i
values are variable, i.e., θ
Variable
1
, θ
Variable
3
, and θ
Variable
5
, respectively.
Since there is no rotation about prismatic joints, the θ
i
values for joints 2 and 4 are zero. Similarly for
prismatic joints 2 and 4, the d
i
values are variable, i.e., d
Variable
2
and d
Variable
4
while θ
2
and θ
4
are zero.
As per the flow chart in Figure 8.4, the next step is to set up the joint coordinate frames starting with
the base joint 1. The Z
0
axis points in the direction such that θ
1
is about the Z
0
axis. X
0
and Y
0
are set
up for a right-hand coordinate frame. Joint 2 is a prismatic joint. Thus Z
1
points in the direction of the
translation of the prismatic joint, X
1
is in the plane perpendicular to Z
0
and the direction of Y
1
completes
the right-handed coordinate system. Joint 3 is a revolute joint so the same system follows for assigning
the coordinate frame as the first joint. X
2
lies in the plane perpendicular to Z
2
(and also away from Z
1
).
Similarly the coordinate system for joints 4 and 5 can be assigned as shown in Figure 8.6.
Having established the coordinate frames, the next step is to determine the D-H parameters. We begin
by first determining that α
i
. α
i
is the rotation about X
i
to make Z
i−1
parallel with Z
i
(starting from Z
i−1
).
Starting with axis 1, the rotation about X
1
to make Z
0
parallel with Z
1
is zero because the Z axes for both
are parallel. For axis 2, the rotation required about X
2
to take Z
1
parallel to Z
2
is 90
◦
or π/2. Similarly α
3
is also π/2. Both α
4
and α
5
are zero because the Z axes are parallel for the last two joints.
The next step is to determine a
i
and d
i
. a
i
is the link length and always points away from the Z
i−1
axis.
d
i
is the offset and is always along the Z
i−1
axis. For axis 1, there is no offset in the Z
0
direction from joint
1 to joint 2, so d
1
is equal to zero. Also, the distance between axes 1 and 2 is zero, so a
1
is zero. As seen
from the schematic of the five-degrees-of-freedom manipulator in Figure 8.6, the only nonzero a
i
and d
i
D-H parameters are d
Variable
2
and d
Variable
4
. Each of these distances is in the Z
i−1
direction, so the respective
d values are equal to these distances.
Having determined all the D-H parameters, the transformation matrix A
0
5
can now be computed.
The transformation matrix consists of the rotation matrix R
0
5
and the displacement vector d
0
5
. Using the