Actuating Input Selection of 5-UPS/PRPU Parallel Machine Tool

The actuating input selection is an important basic problem for the parallel mechanism. Based on the screw theory, the constraint screw can be got after locking a kinematic pair in any limb, which can be taken as actuating wrench acted on the moving platform of the parallel mechanism. The constraint screw matrix is composed of the structure constraint screws and the constraint screws of the actuating pairs. The reasonableness of input selection can be judged by the rank of the constraint matrix. The performance of the combinations of actuating inputs is evaluated by the condition numbers of the force constraint matrix and the torque constraint matrix respectively. The theory presented is validated by the simulation and the maching test.© 2005 ASME