Analytic manipulators are manipulators for which a characteristic polynomial of fourth degree or lower can be obtained symbolically. Six types of RP_R-PR-RP_R analytic planar parallel manipulators (APPMs) are first generated using the component approach and the method based on the structure of the univariate equation. Of the six types, four are composed of Assur II kinematic chains while the other two are composed of Assur III kinematic chains. The forward displacement analysis (FDA) of two types of RP_R-PR-RP_R APPMs composed of Assur III kinematic chains is then performed. The FDA of each of the two types of APPMs composed of Assur III kinematic chains is reduced to the solution of a univariate cubic equation and a quadratic equation in sequence. It is also proven that the maximum number of real solutions to the FDA is 4 for the RP_R-PR-RP_R planar parallel manipulator with one aligned platform and one orthogonal platform. Examples with 4 real solutions for the RP_R-PR-RP_R planar parallel manipulator with one aligned platform and one orthogonal platform or 6 real solutions for the RP_R-PR-RP_R planar parallel manipulator with two aligned platforms are given at the end of this paper.

1.
Mavroidis
,
C.
, and
Roth
,
B.
,
1994
, “
Structural Parameters Which Reduce the Number of Manipulator Configurations
,”
ASME J. Mech. Des.
,
116
(
1
), pp.
3
10
.
2.
Smith
,
D. R.
, and
Lipkin
,
H.
,
1990
, “
Analysis of Fourth Order Manipulator Kinematics Using Conic Sections
,”
Proc. of 1990 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
,
1
, pp.
274
278
.
3.
Gosselin
,
C. M.
, and
Merlet
,
J. P.
,
1994
, “
The Direct Kinematics of Planar Parallel Manipulators: Special Architectures and Number of Solutions
,”
Mech. Mach. Theory
,
29
(
8
), pp.
1083
1097
.
4.
Merlet
,
J. P.
,
1996
, “
Direct Kinematics of Planar Parallel Manipulators
,”
Proc. of 1996 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
,
4
, pp.
3744
3749
.
5.
Ridgeway, S. C., Crane, C. D., and Duffy, J., 1996, “A Forward Analysis of a Two Degree of Freedom Parallel Manipulator,” Recent Advances in Robot Kinematics, J. Lenarcˇicˇ and V. Parenti-Castelli (eds.) Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands, pp. 431–440.
6.
Gosselin, C. M., and Gagne´, M., 1995, “A Closed-form Solution for the Direct Kinematics of a Special Class of Spherical Three-Degree-of-Freedom Parallel Manipulators,” Proceedings of the Second Workshop on Computational Kinematics, 4–6 September, INRIA, Sophia-Antipolis, France, 231–240.
7.
Kong, X., 1998, “Forward Displacement Analysis of Three New Classes of Analytic Spherical Parallel Manipulators,” Proc. of 1998 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences, 98-DETC/MECH-5953.
8.
Zhang
,
C. D.
, and
Song
,
S. M.
,
1992
, “
Forward Kinematics of Parallel (Stewart) Platforms With Closed Form Solutions
,”
J. Rob. Syst.
,
9
(
4
), pp.
93
112
.
9.
Hunt
,
K. H.
, and
Primrose
,
E. J. F.
,
1993
, “
Assembly Configurations of Some In-Parallel Actuated Manipulators
,”
Mech. Mach. Theory
,
28
(
4
), pp.
31
42
.
10.
Kong
,
X.
, and
Yang
,
T.
,
1994
, “
Generation and Forward Displacement Analyses of Two New Classes of Analytic 6-SPS Parallel Manipulators
,”
Proc. of 1994 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences DE-Vol.
72
, pp.
293
300
.
11.
Kong
,
X.
, and
Gosselin
,
C. M.
,
2001
, “
Generation and Forward Displacement Analysis of Two New Classes of Analytic 6-SPS Parallel Manipulators
,”
J. Rob. Syst.
,
18
(
6
), pp.
295
304
.
12.
Bruyninckx, H., and Schutter, J. De, 1996, “A Class of Fully Parallel Manipulators With Closed-form Forward Kinematics,” Recent Advances in Robot Kinematics, J. Lenarcˇicˇ and V. Parenti-Castelli (eds.) Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands, pp. 411–420.
13.
Yang
,
J.
, and
Geng
,
Z. J.
,
1998
, “
Closed Form Forward Kinematics Solution to a Class of Hexapod Robots
,”
IEEE Trans. Rob. Autom.
,
14
(
3
), pp.
503
508
.
14.
Ridgeway
,
S.
,
Crane
III,
C. D.
,
Adist
,
P.
, and
Harrell
,
R.
,
1992
, “
The Mechanical Design of a Parallel Actuated Joint for an Articulated Mobile Robot
,”
Proc. of 1992 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences, DE-Vol.
45
, pp.
591
597
.
15.
Ceresole, E., Fanghella, P., and Galletti, C., 1996, “Assur’s Groups, AKCS, Basic Trusses, SOCS, etc.: Modular Kinematics of Planar Linkages,” Proc. of 1996 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences, 96-DETC/MECH-1027.
16.
Barbeau, E. J., 1989, Polynomials, Springer, New York.
You do not currently have access to this content.