Parasitic rotation evaluation and avoidance of 3-UPU parallel mechanism

Based on the prototype of 3-UPU (universal-prismatic-universal joint) parallel mechanism proposed by Tsai [1], the parasitic rotation evaluation is performed and calculated the bound of instability of SNU (Seoul National University) 3-UPU parallel mechanism. Through analysis of the terminal constraint system of the 3-UPU parallel mechanism, the equation about the parasitic rotation and limited clearance is presented. Then the norm of possible parasitic rotation is employed to evaluate the mechanism stability with limited clearance. The higher this number the worst is the pose, the lower it is the best it is. And the contour atlas of parasitic rotation is obtained, which can be used for further analysis and design. With the practice experiment result of SUN 3-UPU parallel mechanism, we find it’s bound of instability, which indicates there will appear the parasitic rotation when the number exceeds the bound. Finally, the method for avoidance of possible parasitic motions is presented by adding redundantly actuated limbs.