On the Criteria for Choice of the Best Solution From a Generated Set of Partially Compliant Linkages

Linkages are broadly classified as rigid-body, partially and fully compliant, capable of accomplishing a specified kine(tostatic)matic task. Path generating partially compliant linkages can generate prescribed non-smooth paths with high fidelity. Kempe’s linkages too can trace the non-smooth paths. But their complexity makes partially compliant linkages superior in terms of compactness and connectivity. A unified procedure to synthesize a solution set of all path generating linkage kinds is implemented in [1]. While there can be many solutions that can satisfy a given kinematic objective, choosing one may not be straightforward. This work proposes a set of criteria to choose the best linkage design. The proposed criteria are categorized as General and Specific. General criteria are applied to evaluate the solutions for any application whereas Specific criteria pertain to the application at hand. As an example, the solutions are generated for the displacement delimited gripper using the unified procedure. The solutions are then evaluated by the user with respect to these criteria. The solution appraisal is performed using a variant of the Pugh’s decision matrix and thereafter, the best solution is identified.