Evaluation on Configuration Stiffness of Overconstrained 2R1T Parallel Mechanisms

Currently,two rotations and one translation(2R1T)three-degree-of-freedom(DOF)parallel mechanisms(PMs)are widely applied in five-DOF hybrid machining robots.However,there is a lack of an effective method to evaluate the configuration stiffness of mechanisms during the mechanism design stage.It is a challenge to select appropriate 2R1T PMs with excellent stiffness performance during the design stage.Considering the operational status of 2R1T PMs,the bending and torsional stiffness are considered as indices to evaluate PMs'configuration stiffness.Subsequently,a specific method is proposed to calculate these stiffness indices.Initially,the various types of structural and driving stiffness for each branch are assessed and their specific values defined.Subsequently,a rigid-flexible coupled force model for the over-constrained 2R1T PM is established,and the proposed evaluation method is used to analyze the configuration stiffness of the five 2R1T PMs in the entire workspace.Finally,the driving force and constraint force of each branch in the whole working space are calculated to further elucidate the stiffness evaluating results by using the proposed method above.The obtained results demonstrate that the bending and torsional stiffness of the 2RPU/UPR/RPR mechanism along the x and y-directions are larger than the other four mechanisms.

A New Method for Type Synthesis of 2R1T and 2T1R 3-DOF Redundant Actuated Parallel Mechanisms with Closed Loop Units

The current type synthesis of the redundant actuated parallel mechanisms is adding active-actuated kinematic branches on the basis of the traditional parallel mechanisms,or using screw theory to perform multiple getting intersection and union to complete type synthesis.The number of redundant parallel mechanisms obtained by these two methods is limited.In this paper,based on Grassmann line geometry and Atlas method,a novel and effective method for type synthesis of redundant actuated parallel mechanisms(PMs)with closed-loop units is proposed.Firstly,the degree of freedom(DOF)and constraint line graph of the moving platform are determined successively,and redundant lines are added in constraint line graph to obtain the redundant constraint line graph and their equivalent line graph,and a branch constraint allocation scheme is formulated based on the allocation criteria.Secondly,a scheme is selected and redundant lines are added in the branch chains DOF graph to construct the redundant actuated branch chains with closed-loop units.Finally,the branch chains that meet the requirements of branch chains configuration criteria and F&C(degree of freedom&constraint)line graph are assembled.In this paper,two types of 2 rotational and 1 translational(2R1T)redundant actuated parallel mechanisms and one type of 2 translational and 1 rotational(2T1R)redundant actuated parallel mechanisms with few branches and closed-loop units were taken as examples,and 238,92 and 15 new configurations were synthesized.All the mechanisms contain closed-loop units,and the mechanisms and the actuators both have good symmetry.Therefore,all the mechanisms have excellent comprehensive performance,in which the two rotational DOFs of the moving platform of 2R1T redundant actuated parallel mechanism can be independently controlled.The instantaneous analysis shows that all mechanisms are not instantaneous,which proves the feasibility and practicability of the method.

Type Synthesis of fully-Decoupled 2T2R Parallel Mechanisms Based on Driven - Chain Principle

Based on the screw theory and the driven-chain principle,a methodology of structural synthesis for fully-decoupled two-translational(2T) and two-rotational(2R) parallel mechanism is proposed by analyzing the characteristics of the input-output relations for fully-decoupled parallel mechanisms.Firstly,according to the desired kinematic characteristics of fully-decoupled parallel mechanisms,a method is proposed by virtue of screw theory to synthesize the desired forms for both the direct and the inverse Jacobian matrices.Secondly,according to the feature of the direct and the inverse Jacobian matrices,the effective screws,the actuated screws and the mobile un-actuated screws of each leg are established based on the reciprocal screw theory and all possible topology structures fulfilling the requirements are obtained.Finally,the desired fully-decoupled parallel mechanisms can be synthesized by using the structural synthesis rule and structural synthesis of fullydecoupled 2T2R parallel mechanisms can be obtained exploiting the abovementioned methodology.In particular,the direct Jacobian matrix of each synthesized fully-decoupled 2T2R parallel mechanism is a non-zero diagonal matrix throughout the entire workspace.Motors are mounted on each leg and each one of them actuates one degree-of-freedom(Do F) of the fully-decoupled parallel mechanism through a one-to-one velocity relation.

OPTIMAL SYNTHESIS OF PLANAR 4 LIMBS 3-DOF OVERACTUATED PARALLEL MECHANISMS

Optimal synthesis of a 3-DOF 4 limbs planar parallel mechanism with actuated redundancy is studied. The kinematics equation of the mechanism is developed and the topology of the mecha-nism is classified. The kinematics and force properties of the mechanisms according to the topologies are compared. Furthermore, a global optimizing formulation is derived from the condition number that is a local index usually used to scaling the manipulability isotropy quantitatively. The optimiza-tion is solved by genetic algorithm. The numerical results show that the topology of the mechanisms can influence the kinematics and force property considerably, and the manipulation dexterity of the mechanisms can be improved distinctly by the given formulations and the suggested optimization algorithm.

Comparative Analysis of Characteristics of the Coupled and Decoupled Parallel Mechanisms

The existence of coupling makes the parallel mechanism possess some special advantages over the serial mechanism, while it is just the coupling that brings about the parallel mechanism some limitations, such as complex workspace, high nonlinear relationship between input and output, difficulties in static and dynamic analysis, and the development of control system, which restricts its application fields. The decoupled parallel mechanism is currently one of the research focuses of the mechanism fields, while the study on the different characteristics between the deeoupled and coupled parallel mechanisms has not been reported. Therefore, this paper performs the systematic comparative analysis of the 3-RPUR and the 3-CPR parallel mechanisms. The features of the two mechanisms are described and their movement forms are analyzed with screw theory. The inverse and forward displacement solutions are solved and the Jacobian matrices are obtained. According to the Jacobian matrices and by using the theory of physical model of the solution space, the workspace, dexterity, velocity, payload capability, and stiffness of the mechanisms are analyzed with plotting the indices atlases. The research results prove that the effects of the coupling on the parallel mechanism are double-side, and then the adoption of the decoupled parallel mechanism should be determined by the requirements of the concrete application situation. The contents of this paper should be useful for the type synthesis and practical application of the parallel mechanism.

Type Synthesis and Characteristic Analysis of a Family of 2-DOF Rotational Decoupled Parallel Mechanisms

It is widely used for the rotational parallel mechanism in the field of spatial orientation. While owing to the existence of coupling, the forward kinematic solution and the control of the general rotational parallel mechanism are especially difficult. If decoupling can be realized, the kinematic analysis of the mechanism will be very simple. Presently, the research of the parallel mechanism is focused on the inverse solution and structure optimization, and there is a lack of rotation decoupled parallel mechanisms （DPMs）. So this paper proposes a family of 2 degree of freedom （DOF） rotational DPMs based on the four-bar linkage mechanism, and performs a characteristic analysis. This family of DPMs is composed of a moving platform, a fixed base and three limbs. Taking U_RRU SPU DPM as an example, the motion feature of this DPM is analyzed with the constraint screw method, and its mobility is calculated by using the Modified Kutzbach-Grtibler criterion. The inverse and forward displacement problems of the proposed parallel mechanism are solved. The decoupled feature of the proposed parallel mechanism is validated by the deduction of the expression of the Jaeobian matrix. Three kinds of singularity conditions of this DPM are discussed, and the atlases of the output parameter concerning different geometric parameters are plotted with the theory of the physical model of the solution space. The proposition and characteristic analysis of the novel rotational DPMs in this paper should be useful for further research and application of the parallel mechanisms.

Novel Mobility Formula for Parallel Mechanisms Expressed with Mobility of General Link Group

The determination of virtual constraints is always one of the key and difficult problems in traditional mobility calculation. To make mobility calculation simple, considering avoiding virtual constraints, some new formulae have been presented, however these formulae can hardly intuitively reflect general link group＇s restrictions on output member and its influences on independence of output parameters, which is premise to the judgment of the properties of mobility. Towards the problem to reveal the intrinsic relationship between the degree of freedom（DOF） of a mechanism, the link group, and the dimension of output parameters, also to avoid determination of virtual constraint, based on the new concepts of the ＂DOF of general link group＂ and ＂node parameters＂, a new formula in the calculation of the mobility of mechanisms is presented that is expressed with DOFs of the general link groups and rank of motion parameters of base point of the output link. It is named GOM（mobility of groups and output parameter） formula. On the basis of new concepts of＂effective parameters＂ and ＂invalid parameters＂, a rule is put forward for solving the DOF of mechanisms with invalid parameters by GOM formula, that is, the base point parameters are the subset of effective parameters of link group. Thereafter, several examples are enumerated and the results coincide with the prototype data, which proves the validity of the proposed formula. Meanwhile, it is obtained that the necessary and sufficient condition for the judgment of output parameters independence is that each of the DOF of the link group is not less than zero. The proposed formula which is simple in calculation provides theoretical basis for the judgment of independence of output parameters and provides references for type synthesis of novel parallel mechanisms with independence requirements of their output parameters.

Gait Analysis of a Radial Symmetrical Hexapod Robot Based on Parallel Mechanisms

Most gait studies of multi-legged robots in past neglected the dexterity of robot body and the relationship between stride length and body height.This paper investigates the performance of a radial symmetrical hexapod robot based on the dexterity of parallel mechanism.Assuming the constraints between the supporting feet and the ground with hinges,the supporting legs and the hexapod body are taken as a parallel mechanism,and each swing leg is regarded as a serial manipulator.The hexapod robot can be considered as a series of hybrid serial-parallel mechanisms while walking on the ground.Locomotion performance can be got by analyzing these equivalent mechanisms.The kinematics of the whole robotic system is established,and the influence of foothold position on the workspace of robot body is analyzed.A new method to calculate the stride length of multi-legged robots is proposed by analyzing the relationship between the workspaces of two adjacent equivalent parallel mechanisms in one gait cycle.Referring to service region and service sphere,weight service sphere and weight service region are put forward to evaluate the dexterity of robot body.The dexterity of single point in workspace and the dexterity distribution in vertical and horizontal projection plane are demonstrated.Simulation shows when the foothold offset goes up to 174 mm,the dexterity of robot body achieves its maximum value 0.164 4 in mixed gait.The proposed methods based on parallel mechanisms can be used to calculate the stride length and the dexterity of multi-legged robot,and provide new approach to determine the stride length,body height,footholds in gait planning of multi-legged robot.

New Family of 3-DOF UP-Equivalent Parallel Mechanisms with High Rotational Capability

Parallel mechanisms(PMs) having the same motion characteristic with a UP kinematic chain(U denotes a universal joint, and P denotes a prismatic joint) are called UP-equivalent PMs. They can be used in many applications, such as machining and milling. However, the existing UP-equivalent PMs suffer from the disadvantages of strict assembly requirements and limited rotational capability. Type synthesis of UP-equivalent PMs with high rotational capability is presented.The special 2 R1 T motion is briefly discussed and the fact that the parallel module of the Exechon robot is not a UP-equivalent PM is disclosed. Using the Lie group theory, the kinematic bonds of limb chains and their mechanical generators are presented. Structural conditions for constructing such UP-equivalent PMs are proposed,which results in numerous new architectures of UP-equivalent PMs. The high rotational capability of the synthesized mechanisms is illustrated by an example. The advantages of no strict assembly requirements and high rotational capability of the newly developed PMs will facilitate their applications in the manufacturing industry.

Theory of Degrees of Freedom for Parallel Mechanisms with Three Spherical Joints and Its Applications

The analysis of degrees of freedom（DOF） of a moving platform is the fundamental problem in kinematics of parallel mechanism. However, many problems should be considered to correctly perform the DOF calculation by using the traditional DOF criterion, and it is difficult to find a DOF criterion suitable for all kinds of mechanisms. A rule that can be used to determine the position and orientation of the moving platform is presented. Based on the proposed rule, a new form of DOF criterion is proposed, which is suitable for a class of parallel mechanisms with three spherical joints attached to the moving platform. The basic types of generalized limb structures are given based on the possible dimension of achieving the center of spherical joint attached to the moving platform, and the general steps of analyzing the DOF are presented. This proposed formula simplifies the DOF analysis of parallel mechanisms with spherical joints attached to the moving platform, and plays an important role in structural synthesis of such parallel mechanisms.

Synthesis of Branched Chains with Actuation Redundancy for Eliminating Interior Singularities of 3T1R Parallel Mechanisms

Although it is common to eliminate the singularity of parallel mechanism by adding the branched chain with actuation redundancy, there is no theory and method for the configuration synthesis of the branched chain with actuation redundancy in parallel mechanism. Branched chains with actuation redundancy are synthesized for eliminating interior singularity of 3-translational and 1-rotational（3T1R） parallel mechanisms. Guided by the discriminance method of hybrid screw group according to Grassmann line geometry, all the possibilities are listed for the occurrence of interior singularities in 3T1R parallel mechanism. Based on the linear relevance of screw system and the principles of eliminating parallel mechanism singularity with actuation redundancy, different types of branched chains with actuation redundancy are synthesized systematically to indicate the layout and the number of the branched chainsinterior with actuation redundancy. A general method is proposed for the configuration synthesis of the branched chains with actuation redundancy of the redundant parallel mechanism, and it builds a solid foundation for the subsequent performance optimization of the redundant actuation parallel mechanism.

Constraint and Mobility Change Analysis of Rubik’s Cube-inspired Reconfigurable Joints and Corresponding Parallel Mechanisms

The current research of reconfigurable parallel mechanism mainly focuses on the construction of reconfigurable joints.Compared with the method of changing the mobility by physical locking joints,the geometric constraint has good controllability,and the constructed parallel mechanism has more configurations and wider application range.This paper presents a reconfigurable axis(rA)joint inspired and evolved from Rubik’s Cubes,which have a unique feature of geometric and physical constraint of axes of joint.The effectiveness of the rA joint in the construction of the limb is analyzed,resulting in a change in mobility and topology of the parallel mechanism.The rA joint makes the angle among the three axes inside the groove changed arbitrarily.This change in mobility is completed by the case illustrated by a 3(rA)P(rA)reconfigurable parallel mechanism having variable mobility from 1 to 6 and having various special configurations including pure translations,pure rotations.The underlying principle of the metamorphosis of this rA joint is shown by investigating the dependence of the corresponding screw system comprising of line vectors,leading to evolution of the rA joint from two types of spherical joints to three types of variable Hooke joints and one revolute joint.The reconfigurable parallel mechanism alters its topology by rotating or locking the axis of rA joint to turn all limbs into different phases.The prototype of reconfigurable parallel mechanism is manufactured and all configurations are enumerated to verify the validity of the theoretical method by physical experiments.

Actuation Spaces Synthesis of Lower-Mobility Parallel Mechanisms Based on Screw Theory

The lower-mobility parallel mechanism has been widely used in the engineering field due to its numerous excellent characteristics.However,little work has been devoted to the actuator selection and placement that best satisfy the system's functional requirements during concept design.In this study,a unified approach for synthesizing the actuation spaces of both rigid and flexure parallel mechanisms has been presented,and all possible combinations of inputs could be obtained,laying a theoretical foundation for the subsequent optimization of inputs.According to the linear independence of actuation space and constraint space of the lower-mobility parallel mechanism,a general expression of actuation spaces in the format of screw systems is deduced,a unified synthesis process for the lower-mobility parallel mechanism is derived,and the efficiency of the method is validated with two selective examples based on screw theory.This study presents a theoretical framework for the input selection problems of parallel mechanisms,aiming to help designers select and place actuators in a correct and even optimal way after the configuration design.

Analysis and Simulation of Kinematical Performances of Two Kinds of Parallel Mechanisms Based on the Plane Sprayer

Two kinds of 2-dof parallel mechanisms are proposed in this paper which can be used as the actuator for the plane sprayer. The direct and inverse kinematics solutions of the two kinds of mechanisms are derived on the end operating point and two workspaces are analyzed and compared. The kinematics models of the end operating point of two mechanisms are simulated by Matlab examples obtaining variation of kinematics parameters of these two mechanisms. The research of this paper provides the basis for the selection of mechanism, trajectory planning of the end operating point on the sprayer and often some practical value for trajectory analysis and structure design of the plane sprayer.

Structural Synthesis of Parallel Mechanisms with High Rotational Capability

Most parallel mechanisms(PMs) encountered today have a common disadvantage, i.e., their low rotational capability.In order to develop PMs with high rotational capability, a family of novel manipulators with one or two dimensional rotations is proposed. The planar one-rotational one-translational(1 R1 T) and one-rotational two-translational(1 R2 T)PMs evolved from the crank-and-rocker mechanism(CRM) are presented by means of Lie group theory. A spatial 2 R1 T PM and a 2 R parallel moving platform with bifurcated large-angle rotations are proposed by orthogonal combination of the RRRR limbs. According to the product principle of the displacement group theory, a hybrid 2 R3 T mechanism in possession of bifurcated motion is obtained by connecting the 2 R parallel moving platform with a parallel part, which is constructed by four 3 T1 R kinematic chains. The presented manipulators possess high rotational capability. The proposed research enriches the family of spatial mechanisms and the construction method provides an instruction to design more complex mechanisms.

Solution for Output Coordination Equations of Several Typical Parallel Six-Dimensional Acceleration Sensing Mechanisms

Aiming at the problem that it is difficult to generate the dynamic decoupling equation of the parallel six-dimensional acceleration sensing mechanism,two typical parallel six-dimensional acceleration sensing mechanisms are taken as examples.By analyzing the scale constraint relationship between the hinge points on the mass block and the hinge points on the base of the sensing mechanism,a new method for establishing the dynamic equation of the sensing mechanism is proposed.Firstly,based on the scale constraint relationship between the hinge points on the mass block and the hinge points on the base of the sensing mechanism,the expression of the branch rod length is obtained.The inherent constraint relationship between the branches is excavated and the branch coordination closed chain of the“12-6”configuration is constructed.The output coordination equation of the sensing mechanism is successfully derived.Secondly,the dynamic equations of“12-4”and“12-6”configurations are constructed by the Newton-Euler method,and the forward decoupling equations of the two configurations are solved by combining the dynamic equations and the output coordination equations.Finally,the virtual prototype experiment is carried out,and the maximum reference errors of the forward decoupling equations of the two configuration sensing mechanisms are 4.23%and 6.53%,respectively.The results show that the proposed method is effective and feasible,and meets the real-time requirements.

Type Synthesis of Self-Alignment Parallel Ankle Rehabilitation Robot with Suitable Passive Degrees of Freedom

The current parallel ankle rehabilitation robot(ARR)suffers from the problem of difficult real-time alignment of the human-robot joint center of rotation,which may lead to secondary injuries to the patient.This study investigates type synthesis of a parallel self-alignment ankle rehabilitation robot(PSAARR)based on the kinematic characteristics of ankle joint rotation center drift from the perspective of introducing"suitable passive degrees of freedom(DOF)"with a suitable number and form.First,the self-alignment principle of parallel ARR was proposed by deriving conditions for transforming a human-robot closed chain(HRCC)formed by an ARR and human body into a kinematic suitable constrained system and introducing conditions of"decoupled"and"less limb".Second,the relationship between the self-alignment principle and actuation wrenches(twists)of PSAARR was analyzed with the velocity Jacobian matrix as a"bridge".Subsequently,the type synthesis conditions of PSAARR were proposed.Third,a PSAARR synthesis method was proposed based on the screw theory and type of PSAARR synthesis conducted.Finally,an HRCC kinematic model was established to verify the self-alignment capability of the PSAARR.In this study,93 types of PSAARR limb structures were synthesized and the self-alignment capability of a human-robot joint axis was verified through kinematic analysis,which provides a theoretical basis for the design of such an ARR.

Configuration and Kinematics of a 3-DOF Generalized Spherical Parallel Mechanism for Ankle Rehabilitation

The kinematic equivalent model of an existing ankle-rehabilitation robot is inconsistent with the anatomical structure of the human ankle,which influences the rehabilitation effect.Therefore,this study equates the human ankle to the UR model and proposes a novel three degrees of freedom(3-DOF)generalized spherical parallel mechanism for ankle rehabilitation.The parallel mechanism has two spherical centers corresponding to the rotation centers of tibiotalar and subtalar joints.Using screw theory,the mobility of the parallel mechanism,which meets the requirements of the human ankle,is analyzed.The inverse kinematics are presented,and singularities are identified based on the Jacobian matrix.The workspaces of the parallel mechanism are obtained through the search method and compared with the motion range of the human ankle,which shows that the parallel mechanism can meet the motion demand of ankle rehabilitation.Additionally,based on the motion-force transmissibility,the performance atlases are plotted in the parameter optimal design space,and the optimum parameter is obtained according to the demands of practical applications.The results show that the parallel mechanism can meet the motion requirements of ankle rehabilitation and has excellent kinematic performance in its rehabilitation range,which provides a theoretical basis for the prototype design and experimental verification.

Displacement manifold method for type synthesis of lower-mobility parallel mechanisms

Type synthesis of lower-mobility parallel mechanisms is a hot and frontier topic in international academic and industrial field. Based on the Lie group theory, a displacement manifold synthesis method is proposed. For all the nine kinds of lower-mobility parallel mechanisms, the mechanism displacement manifold, limb displacement manifold and the geometrical conditions which guarantee that the intersection of the limb displacement manifold is the desired mechanism displacement manifold are enumerated. Various limb kinematic chains can be obtained using the product closure of displacement subgroup. Parallel mechanisms can be constructed with these limbs while obeying the geometrical conditions. Hence, all the nine kinds of lower-mobility parallel mechanisms can be synthesized using this method. Since displacement manifold deals with finite motion, the result mechanism of synthesis have full-cycle mobility. Novel architectures of lower-mobility parallel mechanisms can be obtained using this method.

Variable stiffness design of redundantly actuated planar rotational parallel mechanisms

Redundantly actuated planar rotational parallel mechanisms（RAPRPMs） adapt to the requirements of robots under different working conditions by changing the antagonistic internal force to tune their stiffness.The geometrical parameters of the mechanism impact the performances of modulating stiffness.Analytical expressions relating stiffness and geometrical parameters of the mechanism were formulated to obtain the necessary conditions of variable stiffness.A novel method of variable stiffness design was presented to optimize the geometrical parameters of the mechanism.The stiffness variation with the internal force was maximized.The dynamic change of stiffness with the dynamic location of the mechanism was minimized,and the robustness of stiffness during the motion of the mechanism was ensured.This new approach to variable stiffness design can enable off-line planning of the internal force to avoid the difficulties of on-line control of the internal force.