Finite Position Synthesis of 5-SS Platform Linkages Including Partially Specified Joint Locations

A 5-SS platform linkage generates a one-degree-of-freedom motion of a moving platform such that each of five moving points on the platform is constrained on a sphere, or in its degenerated case, on a plane. It has been well established a 5-SS platform linkage can be made to guide though seven positions exactly. This paper investigates the cases when the number of given positions are less than seven that allows for partial specification of locations of the moving points. A recently developed novel algorithm with linear structure in the design equations has been extended for the solution of the problem. The formulation of this expanded motion generation problem unifies the treatment of the input positions and constraints on the moving and fixed joints associated with the 5-SS platform linkage. Numerical examples are provided to show the effectiveness of the unified algorithm.Copyright © 2017 by ASME