Description of a Propulsion Unit Used in Guiding a Walking Machine by Recognizing a Three-point Bordered Path

A reconfigurable propulsion unit based on the Peaucellier-Lipkin mechanism has the ability to describe exact straight or curved paths depending on the selected ratio between the lengths of two of its links. The Peaucellier-Lipkin mechanism with one degree of freedom is transformed into a more sophisticated parallel kinematic chain by including four more degrees of freedom. The resulting propulsion unit is able to adapt its kinematic structure and reach instant centers of rotation, in accordance with the presence of three points that border a geometric path. A laser sensor mounted on the body of the machine detects each point. Once the machine has detected the exact location of the border of the road, it walks along a curve parallel to that border. Although the proposed research describes only one propulsion unit or leg, the methodology can be applied to all the legs of the walking machine. The novel 5-DOF leg is able to reach different centers of rotation, providing either the concave or convex arcs that satisfy the basic principle of displacement of walking machines.