Cooperative Kinematic Synchronization of a 2-Axis (Tilting/Rolling) Additional System and a 6-Axis Articulated Robot using Simulink of MATLAB and RecurDyn

In current industrial sites, robots are performing tasks which demand soft and accurate movements, such as welding and assembling, in addition to simple repetitive works. It is not too much to say that it is indispensable to add an additional axis to a process in need of these precise movements. This paper, therefore, aims to synchronize a 2-axis (tilting/rolling) additional system, which enhances processing efficiency of a robot, with a 6-axis articulated robot (specifically RS2). To achieve this objective, a strategy is proposed through kinematic analysis of RS2 and the 2axis additional system as follows: i) approach vector of RS2's end-effector should match the inverse direction of the approach vector of the 2-axis additional system; ii) the sliding vector of the end-effector should be in the inverse direction of the sliding vector for the 2-axis additional system. Based on this strategy, the cooperative kinematic synchronization between RS2 and 2-axis additional system is verified by using Simulink of MATLAB and RecurDyn.