DH Convention – Step by Step Procedure
Consider an example of 2-Link Planar Robot
The DH conventions provide a systematic way to assign coordinate frames to the links of a robot
manipulator and to describe the transformations between these frames
Below are the steps for assigning DH frames
Coordinate Frame Assignment
The DH convention involves assigning a coordinate frame to each joint of the robot such that the
transformation between successive frames is simplified. Here are the steps for assigning DH
frames:
1. Assign the z-axis (zi) along the axis of the ith joint: For a revolute joint, the z-axis is
along the axis of rotation. For a prismatic joint, it is along the direction of linear motion.
2. Assign the x-axis (xi) perpendicular to the z-axis of both the current joint (zi) and the
previous joint (zi-1): The x-axis is along the common normal between zi and zi-1 if they are
not parallel. If they are parallel, xi can be assigned arbitrarily as long as it remains
perpendicular to zi.
3. Assign the y-axis (yi) to complete the right-hand coordinate system: The y-axis is
perpendicular to both the x-axis and z-axis.
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Determine the four DH parameters for each joint:
θ (theta): The angle about the previous z-axis (zi-1) from the old x-axis (xi-1) to the
new x-axis (xi)
d (distance): The offset along the previous z-axis (zi-1) to the common normal (the
distance from the origin of frame i-1 to the origin of frame i along zi-1)
a (alpha): The length of the common normal (the distance between the z-axes of
the two consecutive frames along the x-axis)
α (alpha): The angle about the common normal (xi) from the old z-axis (zi-1) to the
new z-axis (zi)
Transformation Matrix
The DH transformation matrix Ti describes the transformation from frame i−1 to frame iii. It is
composed of a rotation and a translation, given by:
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Description
Consider a simple planar robot with two revolute joints. We will assign coordinate frames and
determine the DH parameters
Step-by-Step Assignment
Step 1: Assign Frames
Link 1:
Z0 aligns with the first joint axis (rotation)
X0 perpendicular to Z0
Link 2:
Z1 aligns with the second joint axis (rotation)
X1 perpendicular to Z1 and Z0
Step 2: Determine DH Parameters:
Link 1:
θ1: Joint angle (variable)
d1: 0 (since the joint is at the origin of the frame)
a1: Length of the first link (constant)
α1: 0 (since both z0 and z1 are parallel)
Link 2:
θ2: Joint angle (variable)
d2: 0 (since the joint is at the origin of the frame)
a2: Length of the second link (constant)
α2: 0 (since both z1 and z2 are parallel)
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Step 3: Form DH Parameter Table
Step 4: Construct DH Transformation Matrices
Step 5: Multiply Transformation Matrices
The overall transformation from the base frame to the end-effector frame is:
Overall Transformation
The overall transformation from the base frame to the end-effector frame is:
T=T1⋅T2
This multiplication will give you the position and orientation of the end-effector relative to the
base frame
The DH conventions are a powerful tool for roboticists, providing a systematic way to model the
kinematics of robot manipulators. By defining four parameters for each link and using a
standardized transformation matrix, complex kinematic chains can be broken down into simpler,
manageable transformations. This method is widely used in robotics for both analysis and
control
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