Individuals with hemiplegia suffer from impaired arm movements that appear as a marked change in arm stiffness. A quantitative measure of arm stiffness would characterize rehabilitation therapy effectively, while litt...Individuals with hemiplegia suffer from impaired arm movements that appear as a marked change in arm stiffness. A quantitative measure of arm stiffness would characterize rehabilitation therapy effectively, while little mechanism is designed to implement the function. A symmetrical five-bar linkage consisting of two revolute joints and three prismatic joints is presented. Inverse kinematics and forward kinematics are obtained first. Then inverse singularities and direct singularities of the mechanism are gained. The global stiffness index is defined based on the results of kinematics analysis. Finally, optimal dimensional synthesis of the mechanism in terms of maximum stiffness is conducted by genetic algorithms. The calculation results show that with the length of both the two linkage a=830 mm, the interacting angle of the two guides 2δ=4.48 radian, and the maximum range of displacement of the two carriers dmax=940 mm, the mechanism achieves highest rigidity and its workspace is singularity-free, which covers the human left and right arm range of motion. The proposed novel mechanism featuring high rigidity and a singularity-free workspace can provide rehabilitation training, also solve the problem of quantitative measure of arm stiffness.展开更多
This paper presents the idea of constructing reconfigurable limbs by integrating metamorphic linkages as subchains.The planar five-bar metamorphic linkages that have three phases resulting from locking of motors are c...This paper presents the idea of constructing reconfigurable limbs by integrating metamorphic linkages as subchains.The planar five-bar metamorphic linkages that have three phases resulting from locking of motors are considered.Under the assumption that the constraint exerted by the reconfigurable limb can switch between no constraint,a constraint force,and a constraint couple,the output motions of the metamorphic linkage in its two planar four-bar linkage phases are identified.By adding an appropriate joint to planar four-bar linkages with translational output,four planar five-bar linkages that can be employed in the construction of reconfigurable limbs are enumerated.Serial chains that can provide a constraint couple and a constraint force are synthesized based on screw theory.Reconfigurable limbs that have three configurations associated with the three distinct phases of the metamorphic linkages are assembled with planar five-bar metamorphic linkages and serial chains with four degrees of freedom.A class of reconfigurable parallel mechanisms are constructed by connecting a moving platform and a base with three identical reconfigurable limbs.The degrees of freedom of the reconfigurable parallel mechanism in different configurations with the metamorphic linkages in different phases are given.Finally,the actuation scheme for this kind of mechanisms is addressed.展开更多
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No U1304510)Development Foundation for Outstanding Young Teachers of Zhengzhou University,China(Grant No.1421321076)
文摘Individuals with hemiplegia suffer from impaired arm movements that appear as a marked change in arm stiffness. A quantitative measure of arm stiffness would characterize rehabilitation therapy effectively, while little mechanism is designed to implement the function. A symmetrical five-bar linkage consisting of two revolute joints and three prismatic joints is presented. Inverse kinematics and forward kinematics are obtained first. Then inverse singularities and direct singularities of the mechanism are gained. The global stiffness index is defined based on the results of kinematics analysis. Finally, optimal dimensional synthesis of the mechanism in terms of maximum stiffness is conducted by genetic algorithms. The calculation results show that with the length of both the two linkage a=830 mm, the interacting angle of the two guides 2δ=4.48 radian, and the maximum range of displacement of the two carriers dmax=940 mm, the mechanism achieves highest rigidity and its workspace is singularity-free, which covers the human left and right arm range of motion. The proposed novel mechanism featuring high rigidity and a singularity-free workspace can provide rehabilitation training, also solve the problem of quantitative measure of arm stiffness.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.51075025,51175029)Beijing Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.3132019)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China(Grant No.NCET-12-0769)
文摘This paper presents the idea of constructing reconfigurable limbs by integrating metamorphic linkages as subchains.The planar five-bar metamorphic linkages that have three phases resulting from locking of motors are considered.Under the assumption that the constraint exerted by the reconfigurable limb can switch between no constraint,a constraint force,and a constraint couple,the output motions of the metamorphic linkage in its two planar four-bar linkage phases are identified.By adding an appropriate joint to planar four-bar linkages with translational output,four planar five-bar linkages that can be employed in the construction of reconfigurable limbs are enumerated.Serial chains that can provide a constraint couple and a constraint force are synthesized based on screw theory.Reconfigurable limbs that have three configurations associated with the three distinct phases of the metamorphic linkages are assembled with planar five-bar metamorphic linkages and serial chains with four degrees of freedom.A class of reconfigurable parallel mechanisms are constructed by connecting a moving platform and a base with three identical reconfigurable limbs.The degrees of freedom of the reconfigurable parallel mechanism in different configurations with the metamorphic linkages in different phases are given.Finally,the actuation scheme for this kind of mechanisms is addressed.
