Synthesis of Planar Mechanisms for Pick and Place Tasks With Guiding Locations

Author(s):  
Pierre Larochelle

A novel dimensional synthesis technique for solving the mixed exact and approximate motion synthesis problem for planar RR kinematic chains is presented. The methodology uses an analytic representation of the planar RR dyads rigid body constraint equation in combination with an algebraic geometry formulation of the exact synthesis for three prescribed locations to yield designs that exactly reach the prescribed pick & place locations while approximating an arbitrary number of guiding locations. The result is a dimensional synthesis technique for mixed exact and approximate motion generation for planar RR dyads. A solution dyad may be directly implemented as a 2R open chain or two solution dyads may be combined to form a planar 4R closed chain; also known as a planar four-bar mechanism. The synthesis algorithm utilizes only algebraic geometry and does not require the use of a numerical optimization algorithm or a metric on planar displacements. Two implementations of the synthesis algorithm are presented; computational and graphical construction. Moreover, the kinematic inversion of the algorithm is also included. An example that demonstrates the synthesis technique is included.

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Larochelle

A novel dimensional synthesis technique for solving the mixed exact and approximate motion synthesis problem for planar RR kinematic chains is presented. The methodology uses an analytic representation of the planar RR dyad's rigid body constraint equation in combination with an algebraic geometry formulation of the exact synthesis for three prescribed positions to yield designs that exactly reach the prescribed pick and place positions while approximating an arbitrary number of guiding positions. The result is a dimensional synthesis technique for mixed exact and approximate motion generation for planar RR dyads. A solution dyad may be directly implemented as a 2R open chain or two solution dyads may be combined to form a planar 4R closed chain, also known as a planar four-bar mechanism. The synthesis algorithm utilizes only algebraic geometry and does not require the use of a numerical optimization algorithm or a metric on elements of SE(2); the group of planar displacements. Two implementations of the synthesis algorithm are presented; computational and graphical construction. Moreover, the kinematic inversion of the algorithm is also included. Two examples that demonstrate the synthesis technique are included.


Author(s):  
Pierre Larochelle ◽  
Jugesh Sundram ◽  
Ronald A. Zimmerman

This article presents the kinematic synthesis of Watt II six-bar mechanisms for simultaneously guiding two bodies through four prescribed positions. The two bodies to be moved are connected by a revolute joint and the motion generation task is defined by the four desired positions of one body and the relative angle of the second body with respect to the first body. The methodology uses an algebraic geometry formulation of the exact synthesis of planar RR dyads for four prescribed positions from classical Burmester theory. The result is a dimensional synthesis technique for designing Watt II mechanisms for four simultaneous positions. A case study illustrating the application of the synthesis algorithm is included.


Author(s):  
Pierre M. Larochelle

In this paper we present a novel dyad dimensional synthesis technique for approximate motion synthesis. The methodology utilizes an analytic representation of the dyad’s constraint manifold that is parameterized by its dimensional synthesis variables. Nonlinear optimization techniques are then employed to minimize the distance from the dyad’s constraint manifold to a finite number of desired locations of the workpiece. The result is an approximate motion dimensional synthesis technique that is applicable to planar, spherical, and spatial dyads. Here, we specifically address the planar RR, spherical RR and spatial CC dyads since these are often found in the kinematic structure of robotic systems and mechanisms. These dyads may be combined serially to form a complex open chain (e.g. a robot) or when connected back to the fixed link they may be joined so as to form one or more closed chains (e.g. a linkage, a parallel mechanism, or a platform). Finally, we present some initial numerical design case studies that demonstrate the utility of the synthesis technique.


Author(s):  
Venkatesh Venkataramanujam ◽  
Pierre Larochelle

In this paper we present a novel dimensional synthesis technique for approximate motion synthesis of spherical kinematic chains. The methodology uses an analytic representation of the spherical RR dyad’s workspace that is parameterized by its dimensional synthesis variables. A two loop nonlinear optimization technique is then employed to minimize the distance from the dyad’s workspace to a finite number of desired orientations of the workpiece. The result is an approximate motion dimensional synthesis technique that is applicable to spherical open and closed kinematic chains. Here, we specifically address the spherical RR open and 4R closed chains however the methodology is applicable to all spherical kinematic chains. Finally, we present two examples that demonstrate the utility of the synthesis technique.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangyun Li ◽  
Q. J. Ge ◽  
Feng Gao

This paper studies the problem of spatial linkage synthesis for motion generation from the perspective of extracting geometric constraints from a set of specified spatial displacements. In previous work, we have developed a computational geometric framework for integrated type and dimensional synthesis of planar and spherical linkages, the main feature of which is to extract the mechanically realizable geometric constraints from task positions, and thus reduce the motion synthesis problem to that of identifying kinematic dyads and triads associated with the resulting geometric constraints. The proposed approach herein extends this data-driven paradigm to spatial cases, with the focus on acquiring the point-on-a-sphere and point-on-a-plane geometric constraints which are associated with those spatial kinematic chains commonly encountered in spatial mechanism design. Using the theory of kinematic mapping and dual quaternions, we develop a unified version of design equations that represents both types of geometric constraints, and present a simple and efficient algorithm for uncovering them from the given motion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting-Li Yang ◽  
Anxin Liu ◽  
Huiping Shen ◽  
Lubin Hang ◽  
Qiaode Jeffery Ge

Based on the general degree-of-freedom (DOF) formula for spatial mechanisms proposed by the author in 2012, the early single open chain (SOC)-based composition principle for planar mechanisms is extended to general spatial mechanisms in this paper. First, three types of existing mechanism composition principle and their characteristics are briefly discussed. Then, the SOC-based composition principle for general spatial mechanisms is introduced. According to this composition principle, a spatial mechanism is first decomposed into Assur kinematic chains (AKCs) and an AKC is then further decomposed into a group of ordered SOCs. Kinematic (dynamic) analysis of a spatial mechanism can then be reduced to kinematic (dynamic) analysis of AKCs and finally to kinematic (dynamic) analysis of ordered SOCs. The general procedure for decomposing the mechanism into ordered SOCs and the general method for determining AKC(s) contained in the mechanism are also given. Mechanism's kinematic (dynamic) analysis can be reduced to the lowest dimension (number of unknowns) directly at the topological structure level using the SOC-based composition principle. The SOC-based composition principle provides a theoretical basis for the establishment of a unified SOC-based method for structure synthesis and kinematic (dynamic) analysis of general spatial mechanisms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anurag Purwar ◽  
Shrinath Deshpande ◽  
Q. J. Ge

In this paper, we have presented a unified framework for generating planar four-bar motions for a combination of poses and practical geometric constraints and its implementation in MotionGen app for Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms. The framework is based on a unified type- and dimensional-synthesis algorithm for planar four-bar linkages for the motion-generation problem. Simplicity, high-utility, and wide-spread adoption of planar four-bar linkages have made them one of the most studied topics in kinematics leading to development of algorithms and theories that deal with path, function, and motion generation problems. Yet to date, there have been no attempts to develop efficient computational algorithms amenable to real-time computation of both type and dimensions of planar four-bar mechanisms for a given motion. MotionGen solves this problem in an intuitive fashion while providing high-level, rich options to enforce practical constraints. It is done effectively by extracting the geometric constraints of a given motion to provide the best dyad types as well as dimensions of a total of up to six four-bar linkages. The unified framework also admits a plurality of practical geometric constraints, such as imposition of fixed and moving pivot and line locations along with mixed exact and approximate synthesis scenarios.


2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 345-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Minnaar ◽  
D.A. Tortorelli ◽  
J.A. Snyman

Author(s):  
Pierre Larochelle ◽  
J. Michael McCarthy

Abstract In this paper we present a technique for using a bi-invariant metric in the image space of spherical displacements for designing planar mechanisms for n (> 5) position rigid body guidance. The goal is to perform the dimensional synthesis of the mechanism such that the distance between the position and orientation of the guided body to each of the n goal positions is minimized. Rather than measure these distances in the plane, we introduce an approximating sphere and identify rotations which are equivalent to the planar displacements to a specified tolerance. We then measure distances between the rigid body and the goal positions using a bi-invariant metric on the image space of SO(3). The optimal linkage is obtained by minimizing this distance over all of the n goal positions. The paper proceeds as follows. First, we approximate planar rigid body displacements with spherical displacements and show that the error induced by such an approximation is of order 1/R2, where R is the radius of the approximating sphere. Second, we use a bi-invariant metric in the image space of spherical displacements to synthesize an optimal spherical 4R mechanism. Finally, we identify the planar 4R mechanism associated with the optimal spherical solution. The result is a planar 4R mechanism that has been optimized for n position rigid body guidance using an approximate bi-invariant metric with an error dependent only upon the radius of the approximating sphere. Numerical results for ten position synthesis of a planar 4R mechanism are presented.


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