Dynamics analysis of a 3-DOF parallel manipulator with R–P–S joint structure

This paper presents a dynamics analysis for a 3-DOF parallel manipulator with R–P–S (revolute–prismatic–spherical) joint structure. The motion equations are obtained with an application of the principal of virtual work and with the end-effector coordinates chosen as the generalized ones. The equations are derived based on the simplified radical-free position equations. The dynamic analysis together with the associated numerical issues for the particular case of an inverse kinematics singularity is also considered. The results are illustrated by two numerical examples.