Developmentoof a Unified Kinematic Theory of Combination Serial and Parallel Mechanisms

提出的研究针对包括串联和并联链段组合的机械配置的位置正反向运动学进行研究。其目的是为解决协调计算的可控性和复杂性问题的一般理论奠定基础。这项研究涵盖了广泛的机构类别，包括各种系统，如自主行星漫游车和柔性制造系统。研究了串联和并联子结构的不同组合方式对这些机构的位置和速度正反向运动学以及相关的力分解特性的影响。已经开发了这种机构的许多实例，包括在每个手指中具有多个独立驱动关节的多指手，总体意义上是并行机构，但每个肢体包括串联链，该串联链具有串联连接的多个驱动关节。已经对串联和并联组合机构进行了一些研究，但这一主题显然需要扩展研究，以提供全面的理论。该理论应该允许设计者以一种将提供比纯串行或纯并行体系结构更好的性能的方式来利用组合结构。

The proposed research addresses forward and inverse position kinematics of mechanical configurations comprising combinations of both serial and parallel chain segments. The intent is to lay the foundations of a general theory which will address issues of controllability and complexity of coordination computations. This research covers a broad class of mechanisms which includes systems as diverse as autonomous planetary rover vehicles and flexible manufacturing systems. The study addresses the implications of different ways of combining serial and parallel substructures for the direct and inverse position and rate kinematics of these mechanism, and for the associated force decomposition characteristics. Many examples of such mechanisms have already been developed and include the multi-fingered hand with multiple independently actuated joints in each finger, a parallel mechanism in an overall sense, but with each limb comprising a serial chain with several actuated joints connected in series. Some study of combined serial and parallel mechanisms has occurred, but the topic is clearly in need of expanded research to provide for a comprehensive theory. The theory should allow designers to make use of combination structures in a manner which will provide improved performance over either purely serial or purely parallel architectures.