Kinematic analysis and optimal design of a novel parallel pointing mechanism

Pointing mechanisms are widely used in aerospace fields. In order to make the pointing mechanism more adaptable and make the structure more compact and lightweight, a novel six degrees of freedom (6-DOF) parallel mechanism is proposed in this paper, which can provide wide range three-dimensional rotational movement and precise three-dimensional translational movement. Firstly, the description of the novel parallel mechanism is addressed and the equivalent motion to 3-RRR+3-CPR serial-parallel mechanism is demonstrated. Then, the kinematics are studied. Finally, using the performance atlas of motion/force transmission index, an optimal design of the structure parameters is conducted. Based on the kinematic simulation in ADAMS software, the kinematic analysis is verified correct. The novel mechanism has the advantages of wide rotation range, compact structure and decoupling of rotation and translation, which can be well applied in aerospace fields where both the pointing and position adjustment are necessary. (C) 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.