Design of a Motion Decoupled 1R1T Cable Driven Parallel Robot

Cable driven parallel robot (CDPR) possesses large workspace, outstanding dynamic performance and high load capacity. However, due to the actuation method of CDPR, only limited motion modes can be achieved, and its rotational and translational motions are usually coupled. This letter presents a novel design of CDPR, through applying winch-integrated driving method and wrapping driving cables around the moving platform, the positions of driving cables' attach points on moving platform adaptively vary with the movement. The proposed CDPR design naturally enables a novel planar one-translational and one-rotational (1R1T) motion mode with decoupled control of translation and rotation. The performance of the design is validated through simulation and experiment, confirming that there are no other motions generated and the translational and rotational motions can be controlled independently. The proposed configuration further expands the motion mode as well as operational capabilities of CDPR.