5.

Synthesis of Linkages

5.1 INTRODUCTION. The problem of linkage synthesis of Applied Kinematics

was outlined in Chapter 3. In the present chapter, the problem of exact

synthesis is discussed and current methods of synthesis are presented. The

three usual problems of synthesis are discussed, namely

i) funtion generation

ii) rigid body guidance

iii) path generation

and exact solutions to the resulting design equations are meant to be

obtained, these solutions beinq exact up to round-off and/or measuring

errors. Chapter 6 deals with the problem where no p.xact solution can be

found, in which case the best approximation is sought, in the sense of

rendering the minimum quadratic error in the approximation.

5.2 SYNTHESIS FOR FUNCTION GENERATION

Due to the fact that a linkage is a coupling of rigid bodies, a finite

number of parameters (like those of the notation of Denavit and Hartenverg,

Ch. 3) defines it. Hence, the set of design equations is of an algebraic

character, i.e. no derivatives of the design parameters appear in them,

and the number of these parameters is finite. Hence, no linkage can be

obtained to produce an arbitrarily prescribed input/output function

pointwise in the whole continuum of values of the input where the function

is prescribed. The said function can only be produced at a finite set of

input values, the number of this set being equal to the number of indepen-

dent design parameters. Thus, the problem of linkage synthesis for function

J. Angeles, Spatial Kinematic Chains

© Springer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg 1982
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generation can be stated as:

"Given a function f=f(x i ) (i=1.2 •...• n). defined over a discrete set {xi}~'

find the relevant dimensions of a linkage of a given topology* to produce

an input-output relationship that coincides with the function f at the

given discrete set {x.}n of input values". The method to solve this problem
1 1
consits of two stages. namely

i) Derivation of the input-output relationship for the prescribed

topology. and

ii) Determination of the linkage parameters from the above relationship.

The first stage is now discussed. In ch. 4 it was shown that the MDH** can

be applied to obtain an input-output relationship that. hopefully. does not

contain other variables than the input and the output. It was also shown

that an alternate method. less complex than that of Denavit and Hartenberg.

guarantees that only the input and the output variables will appear in the

input-output relationship. That method. however. is restricted to single-

loop mechanisms. whereas that of DH can be extended to multiple-loop

mechanisms. Hence. either method can be applied in the first stage of this

problem. for single-loop linkages. The second stage is carried out by two

different approaches. which are next discussed. It is assumed that an

input-outout implicit function has been obtained, this function having the

general form

f(x .• y .• p)=O.i=1.2 •... ,n (5.2.1)

11-
n
where {(x .• y')}l is a set of n pairs of values relating the ith value of
1 1

the input x to the ith value of the output y. and p is an n-dimensional

-*See Section 3.6

**Method of Denavit and Hartenberg