Design and configuration switching analysis of a novel 3−P⌢RPS reconfigurable parallel mechanism

Abstract

This paper designed a novel 6-degree-of-freedom reconfigurable parallel mechanism with three configurations based on an origami-inspired base. The reconfigurable base serves as the foundation for connecting a parallel mechanism to form an adaptable and versatile robotic system. Firstly, kinematic performance of the mechanism is analyzed in different configurations, including position and velocity, reachable workspace, and singularity. To investigate the mechanism's configuration switching, we proposed a generative trajectory planning method incorporating an acceleration function. The method is capable of rapidly generating the trajectory of the mechanism with given initial and end positional points and effectively avoiding the singularities. Finally, to quantify reconfigurability performance of the mechanism, a reconfigurability index (RI) derived from foldability is proposed. The mechanism's reconfigurability is analyzed for different position/orientation points with the given initial orientation or position, respectively. The generative trajectory planning method proposed in this paper can be used for intelligent control of the mechanism. The reconfigurability index can be used as an important basis for actuation optimization and performance analysis of reconfigurable mechanisms.