A Fourier Descriptor-Based Approach to Design Space Decomposition for Planar Motion Approximation

In an earlier work, we have combined a curve fitting scheme with a type of shape descriptor, Fourier descriptor (FD), to develop a unified method to the synthesis of planar four-bar linkages for generation of both open and closed paths. In this paper, we aim to extend the approach to the synthesis of planar four-bar linkages for motion generation in an FD-based motion fitting scheme. Using FDs, a given motion is represented by two finite harmonic series, one for translational component of the motion and the other for rotational component. It is shown that there is a simple linear relationship between harmonic content of the rotational component and that of the translational component for a planar four-bar coupler motion. Furthermore, it is shown that the rotational component of the given motion identifies a subset of design parameters of a four-bar linkage including link ratios, while the translational component determines the rest of the design parameters such as locations of the fixed pivots. This leads naturally to a decomposed design space for four-bar mechanism synthesis for approximate motion generation.