SYNTHESIS OF MULTI-DEGREE-OF-FREEDOM PRECISION FLEXURE CONCEPTS VIA FREEDOM AND CONSTRAINT TOPOLOGIES

摘要

In this paper we introduce a new approach -Freedom and Constraint Topology - to the conceptual design of parallel precision flexures. The import of this work is that it provides a means (a) to synthesize flexures with coupled or non-coupled degrees of freedom in a deterministic manner and (b) to rapidly generate flexure concepts with coupled or non-coupled motions. This method represents the general shape of a flexure's constraining elements (constraint topology) and the flexure's degrees of freedom (freedom topology) as 3D shapes. For a desired set of motions, there is a unique constraint topology. This geometric mapping technique makes it possible to select the proper constraint topology for a set of desired motions requirements. Several specific concepts may then be generated from the general 3D shape that represents the constraint topology.