Application of the matrix approach to the kinematic modeling and analysis of spaial mechanisms

The purpose of this thesis is to apply the homogeneous matrix transformation approach to the design of automotive alignment mechanisms and to briefly review its application to the kinematic analysis of a hyper-redundant manipulator. The homogeneous matrix transformation approach allows the determination of the position, velocity and acceleration of any point on the mechanism, defined in local coordinates, with respect to the world coordinate system, from a knowledge of the joint and link parameters. This homogeneous matrix method presents itself as a unique tool in the analysis of automotive alignment mechanisms as currently, these mechanisms are designed using geometric methods which involve tedious calculations. By the application of this matrix approach to their analysis, the design process is greatly simplified and it enables the design of these mechanisms to be easily implemented by breaking the design into smaller modules which are then solved individually to yield the final solution. Additionally, an investigation is performed to show the use of this matrix approach in the study of the kinematics of a hyper-redundant manipulator which is composed of wedge shaped discs.