Patent Document ID: 20100191500
Application ID: 12594390
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method of determining the positions and orientations of the base and platform of a parallel manipulator, using an iterative calculation in which successive iterations calculate estimates of said positions and orientations, each estimate being determined from the previous estimate using an inverse of a derivative of an error function, that function also being used to determine error values for each estimate, wherein: when, for one of said iterations, at least one of a) the absolute magnitude of said error values are less than a predetermined maximum, b) the RMS of said error values is less than a further predetermined maximum, and c) the error convergence rate is less than a predetermined value, the subsequent one of said iteration uses unchanged said inverse of said derivative of said function; and when for said one of said iterations, at least one of a) the absolute magnitude of said error values is greater or equal to said predetermined maximum, b) the RMS of said error values is greater than or equal to said further predetermined maximum and c) said error convergence rate is greater or equal to said predetermined value, a revised inverse of said derivative of said function is calculated, using the estimate of positions and orientations determined in said one of said iterations, and said revised inverse is used instead of said inverse in the subsequent one of said iterations.