A Transformation Method to Generate the Workspace of an n(3RRS) Serial-Parallel Manipulator

This paper presents a transformation method to generate the workspace of an n(3RRS) serial-parallel manipulator (S-PM). Firstly, the boundary of the workspace of the 3RRS parallel manipulator (PM) is obtained using the boundary search method and verified by MATLAB/SimMechanics simulation. Secondly, the workspace of the 2(3RRS) S-PM is obtained using the proposed method and verified by MATLAB/SimMechanics simulation. Finally, the workspace of the 3(3RRS) S-PM is obtained using the proposed method. The results indicate that the n(3RRS) S-PM can significantly expand its workspace with the increase in the number of PMs connected in series, and the proposed method can generate the workspaces of n(3RRS) S-PMs efficiently with the advantages of simple operation, high efficiency, and high accuracy. The proposed method is applicable to all S-PMs that are composed of PMs, and it provides a reference for solving the workspaces of other types of redundantly hybrid manipulators.