Work

Effect of passive rotation in UPU/UPRU branches on kinematics and calibration of Stewart platforms

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study examines the passive helical properties of 6-6 UPRU Stewart and their implications for kinematics and calibration. Unlike UPS/SPS branches, the UPRU branch exhibits passive helical behavior. The study explores the passive helical mechanism associated with the UPRU branch and develops a 17-parameter kinematic model that incorporates the spatial orientations of both the upper and lower Hooke joints. The validity of the model is confirmed through experiment, which reveals that the proposed method achieves a precision enhancement of up to 104 times over the conventional method. Furthermore, the research assesses the impact of the proposed method on parameter calibration, resulting in a comprehensive calibration process. Experiment results indicate a substantial reduction in calibration error, decreasing from the conventional method's magnitude of 10-3m to 10-12m, improving precision by 109 times. Utilizing the calibrated parameters, a hole-shaft assembly experiment is conducted to evaluate the practical implications of the findings. The results demonstrate that the platform positioning error of the proposed method is reduced from 0.6mm to about 10-10m, enhancing precision by 106 times. This study provides a solid theoretical foundation for assembling heavy and super-heavy equipment.

Source: Results in Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2026.109093

Authors: Lingtao Huang, Linxuan Wang, Yuliang Ma, Hongyan Zhang, Tao Ni

Institutions: Jilin University, Yanshan University

Language: English

Topic: Robotic Mechanisms and Dynamics

Subfield: Control and Systems Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,940

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China