Kinematics and workspace analysis of a novel 3-DOF parallel manipulator with virtual symmetric plane

Abstract

This article presents a novel 3-DOF parallel manipulator extracted from an origami fold in the context of mechanisms. The parallel manipulator consists of a base, a platform and four chain-legs that connect the platform to base through revolute joints. Each chain-leg contains a closed-loop sub-chain, which is spherical 6R linkage with symmetrical angle lengths. The geometry of the parallel manipulator is revealed according to the configuration design and specifics of the origami fold. This leads to unravelling of the symmetric plane which is determined by the common points of spherical 6R linkages in the four chain-legs. Based on geometric approach, the solutions for both inverse and forward kinematics are derived and the reachable workspace is then analyzed.