Wrench feasible workspace analysis of cable-driven parallel manipulators using LMI approach

Workspace analysis is one of the most important issues in robotic manipulator design. This paper introduces a systematic method of analysis the wrench feasible workspace for general redundant cable-driven parallel manipulators. In this method, wrench feasible workspace is formulated in term of linear matrix inequalities and projective method is used for solving them. This method is one of the most efficient interior-point methods with a polynomial-time complexity. Moreover, the notion of dexterous workspace is defined, which can be determined for redundant cable driven manipulators exerting a worst case external wrench at the end effector. A detailed case study of the wrench feasible workspace and dexterous workspace determination are included for a six DOF, eight actuated cable-driven redundant parallel manipulator.