Modeling and Cooperation Method for Movable Anchor Winch Cable-Driven Parallel Robot

Cable-driven parallel robots (CDPRs) have distinct features in large workspace, dynamic response, load capacity compared to traditional serial and parallel robots. However, challenges arise from interferences among driving cables, end-effectors (EEs), and the environment when studying CDPRs, limiting their performance and complicating cooperation among multiple CDPRs. This article introduces a novel CDPR structure, termed M-CDPRs, featuring movable anchor winches that move along a track. In contrast to traditional CDPRs, this design enhances obstacle avoidance capabilities and facilitates cooperation among multiple M-CDPRs. Taking a planar M-CDPR as an example, the structure design, kinematics model, obstacle avoidance algorithm, and dual-robot cooperation method were presented. Experiments showed that the M-CDPR could achieve trajectory tracking without any interference for either fixed or moving obstacles and realized dual-MCDPR cooperation. Moreover, a potential application was demonstrated that could simulate two space aircraft's rendezvous and docking process. The proposed M-CDPR and the cooperation method could be helpful to expand the range of applications of CDPRs.