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Existing research on synthesis methods for single degree-of-freedom (DOF) six-bar linkages mainly include four or five exact poses. However, an ideal trajectory cannot be synthesized using only five exact poses, thus, it is necessary to introduce additional poses to constrain the trajectory. If more exact poses are introduced, then the linkage may have no solution. Therefore, the constraints of the approximate pose are considered to make the trajectory conform to the desired trajectory. This paper successfully introduces mixed poses into a six-bar linkage, based on Z (Z<5) exact poses and K approximate poses of a given error range, and a new synthesis method for single DOF six-bar linkages is proposed. The solution domain of the linkages synthesized by this method is wide and can be adjusted by controlling the error of the approximate poses, which reduces the difficulty of selecting the solution, ensures theoretical feasibility, and enables the trajectory of the final linkage to more closely match the ideal trajectory. Finally, for the coordinated training of multiple joints in human limbs, a rehabilitation device is designed based on the above six-bar linkage, and a prototype is developed and tested. The test results reveal the accuracy of the proposed method and the effectiveness of rehabilitation training.

The noncircular synchronous belt drive mechanism has demonstrated certain achievements and has been used in special fields. Research regarding noncircular synchronous belt drive mechanisms has focused on optimization design and kinematic analysis in China, whereas two pulley noncircular synchronous belt transmissions have been developed overseas. However, owing to the noncircular characteristics of the belt pulley, the real-time variation in the belt length slack during the transmission of the noncircular synchronous belt is significant, resulting in high probabilities of skipping and vibration. In this study, a noncircular tensioning pulley is added to create a stable three-pulley noncircular synchronous belt driving mechanism and a good synchronous belt tensioning, with no skipping; hence, the non-uniform output characteristic of the driven pulley is consistent with the theoretical value. In the circular noncircular noncircular three-pulley noncircular synchronous belt mechanism, the pitch curve of the driving synchronous belt pulley is circular, whereas those of the driven synchronous belt and tensioning pulleys are noncircular. To minimize the slack of the belt length of the synchronous belt and the constraint of the concavity and circumference of the tensioning pulley, an automatic optimization model of the tensioning pulley pitch curve is established. The motion simulation, analysis, and optimization code for a three-belt-pulley noncircular synchronous belt drive mechanism is written, and the variation in belt length slack under different speed ratios is analyzed based on several examples. The testbed for a circular–noncircular–noncircular three-pulley noncircular synchronous belt transmission mechanism is developed. The test shows that the three-pulley noncircular synchronous belt drives well. This study proposes an automatic optimization algorithm for the tensioning pulley pitch curve of a noncircular synchronous belt transmission mechanism; it yields a stable transmission of the noncircular synchronous belt transmission mechanism as well as non-uniform output characteristics.