Topology of the singularities of 3-RPR planar parallel robots (Q2100029)

Kinematic singularities and how avoiding them in the workspace of parallel robots are important issues in robotics. The authors study 3-RPR planar parallel robots consisting of a base-fixed platform and a moving one, that are connected via three RPR legs (linkages allowing extensions and contractions in the motion of the moving platform). The kinematic map of such a robot is the map \(F:\mathrm{SE}(2) \to \mathbb R^3\) sending any pose of the robot (viewed as an element of the special Euclidian group of the plane) to the squared lengths of the legs. The singularities are described by the hypersurface \(\Sigma \subset \mathrm{SE}(2)\) defined by the vanishing of the Jacobian of \(F\). Robots with various architectural designs are considered: linear robots (i.e.\ having both platforms linear), hybrid robots (with fixed linear platform and moving triangular platform), and the most general case of triangular robots (where both platforms are triangles). The authors use the same approach to study the topology of the singularities, which works despite of the difference between the three cases: they look at the natural projection to the orientation \(\mathrm{SE}(2) \to S^1\), restricted to \(\Sigma\), which turns out to be a conic fibration. The paper contains a very detailed analysis in the case of linear robots with the aim of also offering a guide for the remaining cases. In particular it is proven that \(\mathrm{SE}(2) \setminus \Sigma\) has three connected components. Moreover, two non-symmetrical preimages via \(F\) cannot be connected by a path in \(\mathrm{SE}(2) \setminus \Sigma\), while by amending a flaw in an argument of \textit{J.-P. Merlet} [``On the separability of the solutions of the direct kinematics of a special class of planar 3-RPR parallel manipulator'', in: Proceedings of Design Engineering Technical Conferences 4, 457--462 (2000)], it is shown that two symmetrical preimages via \(F\) can be connected by a path in \(\mathrm{SE}(2) \setminus \Sigma\) only if an appropriate condition is satisfied. The authors also point out interesting topological properties for linear robots whose linear platforms have anchor points with the same cross-ratios. Furthermore, investigating triangular robots they provide a simple proof of the fact that in general \(\mathrm{SE}(2) \setminus \Sigma\) consist of two connected components, which was proved by \textit{M. Husty} [``Non-singular assembly mode change in 3-RPR parallel manipulators'', in: Proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on Computational Kinematics. 51--60 (2009)] and by \textit{M. Coste} [``A simple proof that generic 3-RPR manipulators have two aspects'', J. Mech. Robot. 4, No. 1, Article ID 011008 (2012)] with different approaches requiring more mathematical tools. Finally, in the special case of a robot with similar, not reflected, triangular platforms, it is shown that \(\mathrm{SE}(2) \setminus \Sigma\) consists of four connected components.