Abstract
Linkage mechanisms generate complex curves or motion in a inconstant speed, and are widely used in various mechanical systems. However, their input-output relationship is highly non-linear, making the synthesis of link mechanisms laborious. Mechanism designers frequently pick up an already-existing mechanism which generates a similar output and modify it to produce the desired output. Therefore it is useful to collect and sort many mechanisms and construct a case-base for coming design activities. This article discusses an optimal synthesis of link mechanisms fulfilling specified output trajectory and velocity profiles in a given design space. A case-base is constructed based on randomly generated link mechanisms and their coupler curves. Suitable cases are chosen from this case-base in the light of the current design requirement, and their link parameters are optimized by sequential simplex method to reduce resultant error of trajectory and velocity profiles. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been verified through example problems.
