Pattern Matching Synthesis as an Automated Approach to Mechanism Design

Abstract

A new knowledge-based approach for the synthesis of mechanisms, referred to as Pattern Matching Synthesis, has been developed based on a combination of committee machine and Hopfield neutral network models of pattern classification and matching applied to coupler curves. Computational tests performed on a dimensionally-parameterized four bar mechanism have yielded 15 distinct coupler curve groups (patterns) from a total of 356 generated coupler curves. This innovative approach represents a first step toward the automation of mapping structure-to-function in mechanism design based on the application of artificial intelligence programing techniques. Demonstrative examples of its application to “real-world” mechanism synthesis problems, including the design and evaluation of a two-stroke pump mechanism and the redesign of a variable-stroke engine mechanism have been included, establishing its viability for creative mechanism synthesis.

Five precision point-path synthesis of planar four-bar linkage using algebraic method

“…Similarly, there are only 23 polynomial equations in the Groebner basis in degree lexicographic ordering, i.e., number 1,2,4,7,8,9,10,14,17,20,23,27,30,35,38,44,47,54,57,65,68,77, and 80, with the matrix form:…”

“…The essence of the method is to establish the electronic atlas database of four-bar coupler curves and effectively search for the matching path. The significant mathematical methods for such a search are extracting the geometric relationship based on curve characteristics [2], extracting shape spectrum by mathematical morphological analysis [3], extracting moment invariant using the theory of algebraic moment invariant [4] , extracting the main harmonic composition and Fourier components adopting a fast Fourier transform [5,6] and extracting low frequency wavelet coefficients of the coupler curve using the wavelet multi-resolution analysis [7]. Rapid development of computer technology enhances performance of the indirect-synthesis method in the analysis of path synthesis of a planar four-bar linkage.…”

An Atlas of Remote Actuated Bevel Gear Wrist Mechanisms of up to Nine Links

“…In some applications (Erdman 1986;Soni 1988;Hoeltzel 1990), expert systems have been adopted to establish a structure-to-function mapping with a certain success, while more is expected from further developments in artificial intelligence techniques. As far as bevel gear wrist mechanisms are concerned, the algorithm proposed herein for drawing functional representations corresponding to a given graph can be regarded as the first preliminary phase of a more general inverse procedure for selecting the topology that best suits a given industrial application.…”

An integrated knowledge representation model for the computer-aided conceptual design of mechanisms

“…Domain experts must provide the solutions of many specific problems beforehand, which guarantees that there is a certain possibility for a given problem to fall under these solutions. In practice, type selection and pattern matching are the most commonly applied backward chaining techniques in the mechanism community [1,2,[25][26][27]. However, type selection and pattern matching only consider the steps of case representation and retrieval in CBR.…”