Path-generation of articulated mechanisms by shape and topology variations in non-linear truss representation

This paper presents studies on an optimization-based method for path-generation of articulated mechanisms. An extended truss ground-structure approach is taken in which both the shape and topology of the truss are designed using cross-sectional areas and nodal positions as design variables. This leads to a technique for simultaneous type and dimensional synthesis of articulated mechanisms. For the analysis part it is essential to control the mechanism configuration so that the mechanism remains within a given configuration space, thus stabilizing the optimization process and resulting in realistic solutions. This can be achieved by using the Levenberg–Marquardt method. The design method is illustrated by a number of design cases for both closed and open input and output paths