Theory for topology synthesis of parallel manipulators and its application to three-dimension-translation parallel manipulators

A systematic theory for topology synthesis of parallel manipulators considering basic requirements such as kinematics, dynamics, control, and actuation is built. The kernel part of the theory is its proper application of a new mobility formula, output character equation of parallel manipulators, and units for single-opened-chains that have topological features. A feasible methodology for synthesizing parallel manipulators is also given, by which a detailed application is focused on the synthesis of three-dimension-translation parallel manipulators. The result synthesized encompasses not only most known mechanisms, but also some novel mechanisms with fine performances, such as simple forward/ inverse kinematics and decoupling of input-output parameters that especially benefit control of theses structures.