Parallel mechanisms with adjustable link parameters

There has been always a workspace problem with parallel mechanisms. This paper discusses the workspace of the parallel mechanisms and its enlargement by adjusting their link parameters. The basic idea is to cover a whole required range of workspace with small pieces of one. A fixed linear type mechanism is selected to analyze and to evaluate its adjustable workspace. The analyses of simple 2 DOF plane model show that additional spaces are obtainable, which cannot be reached by the conventional mechanism due to its singularity. More detailed analyses and evaluations are discussed based on a 6 DOF spatial model