Static analysis of cable-driven manipulators with non-negligible cable mass

This paper addresses the static analysis of cable-driven manipulators with non-negligible cable mass. An approach to computing the static displacement of a homogeneous cable is presented. The resulting cable displacement expression is used to help solve the inverse kinematics of general cable-driven manipulators. In addition, the sag-induced stiffness of the cables is derived. Finally, a sample manipulator, with dimensions and system parameters similar to a large scale cable-driven manipulator currently under development, is analyzed. The results show that cable-sag can have a significant effect on the stiffness of such manipulators.