Singularity and manipulability analysis of a planar manipulator mounted on a wheeled mobile platform

Abstract

This paper presents the quantitative and geometric analysis on the kinematics of a wheeled mobile manipulator as the serial connection of a mobile platform and a manipulator. Three different modes of operation are considered, including two standalone operations of a mobile platform or a manipulator and one simultaneous operation of two subsystems. First, the well-defined directional manipulability measure of a robot is formulated. Second, the kinematic model of a mobile manipulator is derived and the configuration dependent singularity is analyzed. Third, the directional manipulability of a mobile manipulator is quantified and the effect of serial cooperation is analyzed. Finally, some discussions and conclusion are made.