Eclipse-II: a new parallel mechanism enabling continuous 360-degree spinning plus three-axis translational motions

This paper presents the Eclipse-II, a new six degree-of-freedom parallel mechanism, which can be used as a basis for general motion simulators. The Eclipse-II is capable of s, p and z-axis translations and n, b and c-axis rotations. In particular, it has the advantage of enabling continuous 360-degree spinning of the platform. The computational procedures for forward and inverse kinematics of the Eclipse-II are described. The complete singularity analysis is presented for the two cases of end-effector singularity and actuator singularity. Two additional actuators are added to the original mechanism to eliminate both types of singularity within the workspace.