Determination of the minimum set of parameters of flexible robots with rigid solids attached to the links

The object of this paper is to determine the minimum set of parameters of flexible robots with rigid solids attached to the links. The existence of a minimum set of parameters is proved by the use of a symbolic method. The determination of this minimum set increases the robustness of the identification process. A sufficient condition which insures the minimality of the standard parameters is given. This condition depends on the number and the choice of the eigenfunctions if the model derives from an assumed modes method and of the shape functions if the model derives from a finite elements method. In the case of robots whose links are all flexible, we demonstrate the only possible regroupings of parameters are obtained with parameters belonging to the same link