Optimal design of Stewart platform safety mechanism

Abstract

A safety mechanism capable of moving at will within the range of its whole link lengths is designed based on the link space. Sixteen extreme poses are obtained in a Stewart platform. The singular points of the extreme poses are solved by using homotopy method as well as the judgment condition of singular points, and thereby the maximum link lengths are achieved. The rotation angles of joints and the distances between two neighboring links are analyzed in a calculation example in which that the mechanism moves among the extreme poses is assumed. Then an algorithm to test the safety mechanism is presented taking the constraint conditions into account. A safety mechanism having optimal properties of global movement is worked out by optimizing all structural parameters through minimizing the average condition number of extreme poses.