The research described was aimed at developing passive vision techniques to perform kinematic calibration for a multi-link manipulator, in near real time. Working with a single image of the arm of a Caterpillar excavator, edges are extracted first, then the constrained nature of the problem allows filtering of edge elements to select only those potentially arising from the arm. A model based matching process is performed on this refined data to determine the desired joint angles quickly and efficiently. Methods of exploiting the parallel nature of these techniques are also described. / Science, Faculty of / Computer Science, Department of / Graduate

Computer programs have been developed for the kinematic and dynamic analyses of cascades of planar four-bar mechanisms. Since the analytic approach has high efficiency and accuracy in computation, a chain of four-bar linkages is developed horizontally and vertically by using the relative coordinates and the absolute coordinates, from which the explicit equations and the simultaneous equations are respectively derived in the kinematic analysis. In this analysis, the actions of transmission of linkages, from left to right, from right to left and from lower to upper, are performed by the image method and transformation procedures. Based on the kinematic analysis, the dynamic analysis is also developed by using both sets of coordinate systems. The generalized equation of motion, the general form of Lagrange's equations, Lagrange multipliers and the theorem of power balance are used to construct various formulations of the governing equations of motion for some particular problems. The problem of a linkage with a moving frame (the ground link) is the most interesting focus in this analysis.

There are many situations in which contact between two bodies is at a single point so there can be no tensile (force). This form of contact only provides a single degree of restraint, and is defined as a unidirectional point contact. The analysis of Reuleaux shows that four suitably placed frictionless point contacts are required to completely restrain an object in a plane. The objective of the thesis is to allow user-placement of three contacts and to find acceptable range for placement of the fourth. If the fourth contact is anywhere in the range, the four forces fulfill the requirement for total planar restraint, i.e. all translations and rotations in a plane are prevented. This project considers the directions and placement allowed for the fourth force but does not take into consideration the magnitudes or friction coefficients of any of the four forces. In this research a program named Planar Restraint Design Assistant (PRDA) was developed to analyze positions of the four restraint forces. A planar object is first specified by the user; the program accepts AutoCAD images for more complex objects. For three given restraint forces PRDA determines a range of the fourth force such that total restraint is achieved. In addition, PRDA allows the user to arrange three restraint forces until a desired range of the fourth restraint force is obtained. Results are shown in visual form with accompanying graphs for numerical interpretation. A program user's guide and a program learning guide are provided as shown in the report with illustrative examples. Program source code in QuickBASIC is included in the report. / Graduation date: 1995

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-125). Also available in electronic version.

No description available.

Thesis (Master)--İzmir Institute of Technology, İzmir, 2006. / Keywords: Biokinematic analysis, quaternionlar, structural groups, mechanism theory,robot manipulators. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-85).

Inaug.-diss.--K. Technische hochschule, Stuttgart.

Inaug.-diss.--K. Technische hochschule, Stuttgart.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1956. / Typescript. Abstracted in Dissertation abstracts, v. 16 (1956) no. 4, p. 723. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-148).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1994. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-76).