Approximated Grashof-Type Movability Conditions for RSSR Mechanisms With Force Transmission Limitations

Closed-form Grashof-type movability conditions are derived for closed-loop RSSR mechanisms using a geometrical approximation technique. The conditions that ensure the presence of crank-rocker and drag-link type mechanisms are derived with and without force transmission limitations. The force transmission limitations may be specified as a function of the output link angle. The accuracy of the approximated conditions is analyzed. As an example, the conditions are used to synthesize a function generating mechanism with fully rotatable crank and with various force transmission requirements. The developed technique is general, and can be applied to other similar spatial mechanisms. The application of this approach to geometrical synthesis of open-loop chain manipulators is discussed.