Single-loop N-bar linkages that contain one prismatic joint are common in engineering. This type of mechanism often requires complicated control and, hence, understanding its mobility is very important. This paper presents a systematic study on the mobility of this type of mechanism by introducing the concept of virtual link. It is found that this type of mechanism can be divided into three categories: Class I, Class II, and Class III. For each category, the slide reachable range is cut into different regions: Grashof region, non-Grashof region, and change-point region. In each region, the rotation range of the revolute joint or rotatability of the linkage can be determined based on Ting’s criteria. The characteristics charts are given to describe the rotatability condition. Furthermore, if the prismatic joint is an active joint, the revolvability of the input revolute joint is dependent in non-Grashof region but independent in other regions. If the prismatic joint is a passive joint, the revolvability of the input revolute joint is dependent on the offset distance of the prismatic joint. Two examples are given to demonstrate the presented method. The new method is able to cover all the cases of N-bar planar linkages with one or a set of adjoined prismatic joints. It can also be used to study N-bar open-loop planar robotic mechanisms.
