Quotient space-oriented innovation design of integrated mobile manipulators

Mobile manipulators, comprising mobile platforms and on-board manipulators, have gained increasing attention and broad applications in diverse fields due to their high flexibility and wide adaptability. As both subsystems influence end-effector motion, integrated design of mobile platforms and manipulators is essential for optimal task performance. However, existing research predominantly focuses on independent subsystem optimization, ignoring cross-subsystem motion coordination across dimensions and lacking systematic integrated design methodologies. To address these gaps, this paper presents an innovative quotient space-based integrated design framework. The proposed procedure includes end-effector motion characteristic extraction, decomposition, and assignment, followed by type synthesis and dimensional synthesis of the mobile manipulator. Furthermore, an elaborate quotient space-based method for end-effector motion decomposition and assignment is proposed. Representative case studies are conducted to demonstrate the methodologies, followed by simulations and experiments verifying that the designed mobile manipulator meets the specified requirements. The proposed approach is expected to facilitate the advancement of mobile manipulator technologies across various domains.