A novel method for mathematical modeling of spatial mechanisms with spherical joints

The kinematics of mechanical structures comprising links and joints are commonly analyzed using the Denavit-Hartenberg (D-H) notation. The current study presents an extended D-H notation which allows the independent parameters of any spatial binary mechanism, including one containing spherical pairs, to be derived for analysis and synthesis purposes. The validity of the proposed notation is demonstrated via its application to the analysis of typical RSCR mechanisms, where R, S and C denote revolute, spherical and cylindrical joints, respectively. The results confirm the viability of the extended D-H notation as a means of analyzing and enhancing the performance of arbitrary binary mechanisms comprising spherical pairs.