Kinematics and error analysis of cooperative cable parallel manipulators for multiple mobile cranes.

Combining mobile cranes with the cable parallel manipulators (CPMs), a cooperative CPMs for multiple mobile cranes (CPMMCs) was designed in this paper. The kinematics were derived on the basis of the configuration of the CPMMCs, aiming at numerical estimation of workspace subject to the constraints on the cable tensions and mobile cranes' structure. Kinematic error, caused by machining, assembly and operation, is one of the major error sources for CPMMCs during high-precision hoisting, which can be estimated by means of error modeling. Kinematics error model was established based on closed-loop vector method. The influences of different error sources on the accuracy are investigated with sensitivity analysis in statistics. Finally, the system is simulated with expected trajectory of the payload based on the established kinematics and error model of the CPMMCs. The simulation results not only provide rationale for design of the CPMMCs, but also of certain guiding significance in practical engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]