Synthesis and analysis of geared robotic mechanisms

The authors introduce th concept of transmission lines for kinematic analysis and synthesis of geared robotic mechanisms. It is shown that the structural matrix, which relates input displacements to the joint angles of a multi-degree-of-freedom geared robotic mechanism, can be derived using the concept of transmission lines. Applying the characteristics of the structural matrix, a methodology for structural synthesis of articulated mechanisms is established. All the basic admissible structural matrices of three-degree-of-freedom robotic mechanisms are enumerated to demonstrate the principle