Product database modeling for adaptive kinematic simulation of planar linkage mechanisms

1. BACKGROUND& PURFOSE Computer-aided kinematic simulation is imperative in the integrated design and manufacturing process of high-quality mechanical products. Although all the required data should be managed by a product database[l], the conventional underlying product models are said to have insufficient descriptive capability to perform flexible and effective kinematic simulation. This paper presents a new product modeling framework which allows adaptive kinematic simulation for planar liikage mechanisms. The word ‘adaptive’ implies that once a product data definition is given, any proper input-output relation for further simulations of the same mechanism may be respecified without any change at the intentional level.