Kinematic Synthesis of a Modified Jansen Leg Mechanism

Abstract

This paper modifies Jansen’s leg mechanism so that it is formed by an RR serial chain with hip and knee joints driven by separate four-bar function generators with one input. Kinematic synthesis of the two function generators programs the joint movement of the RR leg to achieve a desired foot trajectory. The two input cranks can be connected by gears to form a one degree-of-freedom system that generalizes the Jansen leg mechanism. An example design is presented.