Mobility analysis of parallel mechanisms based on screw theory and the concept of equivalent serial kinematic chain

This paper presents a systematic approach for the mobility analysis of parallel mechanisms. The method is based on screw theory and the concept of equivalent serial chain. An equivalent serial kinematic chain of a k-legged PKC (parallel kinematic chain) is defined as a serial kinematic chain which has the same twist system and the wrench system as the k-legged PKC. Using the proposed approach, the mobility analysis of a PKC is performed in two steps. The first step is the instantaneous mobility analysis, and the second step is the full-cycle mobility inspection. The first step is dealt with based on screw theory. The second step is performed with the aid of the concept of equivalent serial chain and the types of multi-DOF overconstrained single-loop kinematic chains. The proposed approach is illustrated with several examples.