Synthesis of Path Generation Compliant Mechanisms Using Variable Width Spline Curves

Abstract

Path generation is to guide a point tracing a prescribed path. Compliant mechanisms (CMs) have been synthesized for path generation mechanisms. In this paper, each connection in a synthesized CM is represented as a variable width spline curve and the entire synthesized CM is modeled as a set of variable width spline curves. The synthesis of a path generation CM is systemized as the optimization of control parameters of a set of variable width spline curves. A variable width spline curve is a center spline curve with variable perpendicular width. The center spline curve is for the shape description of its represented connection while variable width is for the size of the connection. The shape and size of a variable width spline curve is defined by its interpolation circles. The locations of interpolation circles are utilized as interpolation nodes of the center spline curve for connection shape and the diameters of interpolations circles are interpolated for connection size. The centers of all interpolation circles in a synthesized CM form a network of nodes. The network of nodes decides the topology of the synthesized CM and can be classified based on degree of genus (DOG). The presented synthesis approach is demonstrated by synthesizing CMs with different DOGs to generate curved paths.