Type Synthesis of 3-DOF Parallel Manipulators With Both Planar and Translational Operation Modes

Abstract

Despite recent advances in the type synthesis of parallel manipulators with a mono-operation mode, such as translational parallel manipulators and spherical parallel manipulators, the type synthesis of parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes is still an open issue. This paper deals with the type synthesis of 3-DOF parallel manipulators with both planar and translational operation modes. The type synthesis of planar parallel manipulators, which refer to parallel manipulators in which the moving platform undergoes planar motion, is first dealt with using the virtual chain approach. Then, the types of 3-DOF parallel manipulators with both planar and translational operation modes are obtained. This work can be extended to the type synthesis of other classes of parallel manipulators with multiple operation modes.