A method for kinematic analysis of constraint-based planar mechanism

The task of kinematic analysis are to find positions, velocities of driven links according to input parameters of driving link and the dimensions of all links. Kinematic analysis of mechanisms can be carried out by graphical or analytical methods. To shun the complex model and calculation of analytical methods, this paper introduces a new method for kinematic analysis of planar mechanism By using the constraint and dimension driven concept in CAD software, some type of simulation for planar mechanisms is created. The given driving dimension of input link is modified, and the driven dimensions of output link are changed automatically. Then the velocity and acceleration are gained from the drawing. The results of computer simulation show that simulation of constraint and dimension driven mechanism is not only straight forward and highly efficient, but also has the advantages of ensuring accuracy and repeatability.