Dimensional synthesis of parallel manipulators based on direction-dependent Jacobian indices

Abstract

This work proposes direction-dependent Jacobian indices that allow tackling the performance evaluation and dimensional synthesis of parallel manipulators. These indices characterize the kinetostatic capabilities of a manipulator along and about each direction of the Cartesian space and are more likely to help the designer to achieve an assessment of different geometries without having to resort to predefined trajectories. We shed light on these indices by considering a 2-dof parallel manipulator whose modeling is relatively straightforward. The generic example of a five-bar manipulator allows establishing a geometric interpretation of the proposed indices and helps to develop a better understanding of their use within the scope of dimensional synthesis, the main goal being the derivation of kinetostatic indices that are valid for n-dof parallel manipulators. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.