Type Synthesis of 3-DOF RPR-Equivalent Parallel Mechanisms

• Published in: IEEE transactions on robotics Vol. 30; no. 6; pp. 1333 - 1343
• Main Authors: Qinchuan Li, Herve, Jacques Marie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.12.2014; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Categories; Generators; Kinematics; Lie group theory; Limbs; Manipulation; Manipulators; Motion control; Parallel robots; Platforms; Robot kinematics; Robot motion; Robotics; Serials; Synthesis; Three dimensional; Translations; type synthesis; type synthesis; parallel robots; Lie group theory
• ISSN: 1552-3098; 1941-0468
• DOI: 10.1109/TRO.2014.2344450

The moving platform of an RPR-equivalent parallel mechanism (PM) can undergo a 3-degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion that is the product of a rotation followed by a translation and another rotation. A 5-DOF hybrid parallel manipulator can be developed by adding an x-y gantry or an RR serial mechanism to an RPR-equivalent PM, which is suitable for manipulations requiring high rigidity and accuracy with good dexterity along surfaces of the 3-D space. This paper investigates the type synthesis of the RPR-equivalent PM. First, the RPR motion is briefly discussed. Then, the kinematic bonds of limb chains and their mechanical generators are presented. Structural conditions for constructing an RPR-equivalent PM are presented. Furthermore, the RPR-equivalent PMs are classified into several categories, depending on the DOF of its limb chains. Numerous new architectures of the RPR-equivalent PMs are synthesized.