Method for Selecting Self-aligning Mechanisms Enumerated by Matroid Contractions

Abstract

This paper presents a novel method to select self-aligning mechanisms enumerated using Davies’ method and matroid theory. Davies’ method and screw theory are used to model mechanisms in terms of freedoms and constraints. Matroids are used to enumerate self-aligning mechanisms using the model created with Davies’ method as input. Matroid contraction is then applied in order to select a set of feasible self-aligning mechanisms. The herein proposed method is applied to a well known mechanism, the Quadrupteron. Using matroid contraction, design requirements are employed to select a set of feasible self-alingning mechanisms. A novel familiy of self-aligning mechanisms, called Quadriflex family, is finally proposed.