等向性機器人一般被視為具有最佳操控性之設計，當機器人處在一等向性構型，機器人參考點位置與鄰近的奇異點位置距離相等且在位移與力量之控制上具有較高之精密度。目前使用之方法當中以利用等向性產生器設計六自由度等向性機器人為最簡單且最有效率之方法，而且等向性產生器可用來設計等向性串聯式機器人、多餘軸機器人或並聯式機器人。
本文提出新型等向性產生器設計方法，所得到之產生器可設計傳統與非傳統史都華型等向性並聯式機器人以及具有不同類型運動鏈之三鏈或六鏈非史都華型等向性並聯式機器人。由等向性產生器可輕易的得到非常多個等向性設計，因此我們可以從這些設計中搜尋具有較佳運動特性之設計。本文之第二部分提出衡量機器人各種運動特性之方法，並提出一些指數當為目標函數用以得到具有較佳運動特性之機器人。其次更進一步分析並比較這些機器人運動特性以得到具有最佳整體等向性、無奇異點工作空間或方位工作空間之最佳設計。

A manipulator can be controlled equally well in all directions, and sensitivity in velocity and force analysis for an isotropic configuration is at minimum. Therefore, isotropic manipulators are generally considered to be designs with optimum dexterity. Developing 6-DOF isotropic manipulators using isotropic generators is simple and efficient, and isotropic generators can be employed to develop serial, redundant, or parallel isotropic manipulators.
This thesis proposes methods for developing new isotropic generators. The obtained generators can be employed to develop traditional or nontraditional Stewart isotropic parallel manipulators and 3-chain or 6-chain isotropic parallel manipulators with different types of kinematic chains. Since many isotropic manipulators can be easily developed from isotropic generators, we can search for designs with optimum kinematic properties. The second part of this thesis proposes methods for evaluating the kinematic properties of manipulators. Some related indices are presented as objective functions to develop some manipulators with better kinematic properties. The obtained manipulators are then further studied and compared to obtain designs with optimum global dexterity, singularity-free workspace or orientation workspace.

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