Type Synthesis of Parallel Mechanisms With Multiple Operation Modes

Abstract

There are usually several motion patterns having the same DOF (degree of freedom). For example, planar motion, spherical motion, and spatial translation are motion patterns with 3-DOF. An f-DOF parallel mechanism with multiple operation modes is a parallel mechanism that can generate different motion patterns with f DOF. Up to now, no method has been proposed for the type synthesis of parallel mechanisms with multiple operation modes. This paper presents a general method for the type synthesis of parallel mechanisms with multiple operation modes. Using the proposed approach, 3-DOF parallel mechanisms with both spherical and translational modes, i.e., parallel mechanisms generating both the spherical motion pattern and the spatial translational motion pattern, are generated systematically. A large number of parallel mechanisms with both spherical and translational modes are obtained.