Design of the five-bar linkage with singularity-free workspace

Abstract

This paper shows the kinematic analysis and the synthesis of the five-bar linkage with symmetrical structure and singularity-free dexterous workspace. The type synthesis of the five-bar linkage shows that the number of symmetrical structures of five-bar linkage is limited to eight structures. This study deals with the forward and inverse kinematic analysis and synthesis of the five-bar structure 5-RRRRR. The synthesis equations allow the analytical computation of the link lengths of a symmetrical five-bar linkage using only revolute joints to avoid the singularities in an imposed dexterous workspace. A numerical example of the symmetrical five-bar linkage is analyzed and synthetized theoretically and characterized by computing the performance indices. The tests on an experimental model of the five-bar linkage 5-RRRRR confirm the singularity-free dexterous workspace.

Editorial of the special issue: innovative robot design for special applications

“…In ref. [5], the kinematic analysis and the synthesis of a five-bar linkage with symmetrical structure and singularityfree dexterous workspace is carried out. A complete model is developed, which allows to design a singularity-free mechanism, which is then built and experimentally tested with success.…”