Study on a new computer path synthesis method of a four-bar linkage

In this paper, a new computer method using coupler-angle function curve to approximately synthesize a four-bar path mechanism is presented. A two-DOF (degree of freedom) auxiliary mechanism is adopted to transform coupler-points of the given path to a coupler-angle function curve. The method effectively solves the approximate path synthesis problem for the more than 9 coupler-points given. Using this method, several satisfactory four-bar linkages can be obtained for the arbitrarily given 20 coupler-points. A set of software is developed to realize the design and visualization of path synthesis for a four-bar linkage when a user inputs 20 coupler-points through the software interface by means of mouse, keyboard or data file, which proves the method to be feasible and effective.