A Note on Denavit-Hartenberg Notation in Robotics

Abstract

The Denavit-Hartenberg conventions model chains of bodies connected by joints. Originally they were applied to single-loop chains but are now almost universally applied to open-loop serial chains such as robotic manipulators. Unfortunately there are several popular variations of the notation: the original, the distal variant, and the proximal variant. These three cases are compared for their application to serial robots. The proximal variate is advanced as the most notationally transparent for the mechanical analysis of serial manipulators.