Displacement Analysis of a Special Case of the 7R, Single-Loop, Spatial Mechanism

Based on the displacement equations for the general n-bar, single-loop spatial linkage, obtained elsewhere, the displacement analysis for a special case of the 7R spatial mechanism is carried out. In this mechanism the successive rotation axes are perpendicular to each other, the distances between axes 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, are equal and the offsets along axes 4 and 5 are zero, when input axis is labeled axis 1. In this fashion, there still remain nine free linkage parameters. Input-output equation is of the eighth-degree in the tangent of half the output angle. A particular case of this one, where all the distances between axes are equal and all the offsets along axes are zero, leads to an input-output equation of the fourth-degree in the same quantity, with a maximum of four closures. This mechanism resulted to be a double-rocker.