Topological synthesis of articulated gear mechanisms

The concept of transmission lines for the topological synthesis of articulated gear mechanisms is introduced. It is shown that the structural matrix which relates input displacements to the joint angles of a multi-degree-of-freedom articulated gear mechanism can be derived using the concept of transmission lines. Applying the characteristics of the structural matrix, a new methodology for the topological synthesis of articulated gear mechanisms has been established. All the basic admissible structural matrices of three-degree-of-freedom geared robotic mechanisms have been enumerated to demonstrate the principle. Several arm and wrist mechanisms created are believed to be novel