Parameter estimation of fixed-distance joints (Q1970759)

The authors present some results on parameter estimation of a fixed-distance joint. Constant-distance joints can be used in various fields of applied mechanics such as mechanisms, vehicle and human body dynamics. The corresponding geometrical parameters are positions of the points of connected bodies, with are kept at constant distance during the motion. The problem can be usually solved by using kinematical information on a certain number of points belonging to the connected bodies. The goal of this article is to formulate the parameter estimation problem, to provide a solution to this problem, and to discuss the accuracy of this solutions as a function of available measurements and possible a priori information. The authors propose three solving methods to deal with different situations in practice. The case of planar motion is investigated in more detail, and a numerical example is provided and discussed.