Force Analysis and Mechanical Design of a Novel 3-DOF Parallel Mechanism
Parallel mechanisms (PMs) with two rotational degrees-of-freedom (DOF) and one translational DOF (2R1T) have gained much attention in recent years. In this paper, different from type synthesis method, inner properties of PMs (motion characteristics, type of joints and arrangement way of joints) are used to deduce PMs; and two novel 3-DOF PMs are presented using this method. Aiming at 2UPU/SP PM, the constraint force/torque generated on the moving platform (MP) are analysed; here, P, U and S denote prismatic, universal and spherical joints, respectively. The driving force and the constraint force/torque are drawn, which show good distribution of the constraint wrench. After that, a novel 5-DOF hybrid manipulator is constructed on the basis of the 2UPU/SP PM; according to different demands, two alternative designs of the 5-DOF hybrid manipulator are presented. The study in this paper will enhance the research applications of the 2UPU/SP PM.