Key Words: instantaneous poles, geometrical techniques, indeterminate single-dof spherical mechanisms
center, Fig. 1. So doing, the instant poles become mechanisms can be studied by using only one (either
points of the reference sphere and the links become positive or negative) shell of the reference sphere10.
spherical sells that move on the reference sphere. Hereafter, the positive shell will be used.
With reference to a Cartesian system (Fig. 1) whose A bijective mapping can be defined10 between points
origin is at the spherical motion center, intersections of the positive hemisphere and those of the reference
between the reference sphere and the xy plane, the yz plane x=1, which is tangent to reference sphere at
plane, and zx plane will be called primary great circle point (1, 0, 0). Moreover, the slopes of the reference
(PGC), infinity great circle (IGC), and declination planes straight lines, passing through the point of
great circle (DGC), respectively10. tangency between reference plane and reference
sphere, uniquely locate IGC points of the positive
z shell. Therefore, the first-order kinematics of the
IGC spherical mechanisms can be fully described by
PGC using only points of the reference plane.
As a consequence of the above discussion, any
DGC theorem, considering the instantaneous kinematics of
planar mechanisms, can have a spherical counterpart.
O y Two of the theorems, which are useful in this study,
are the Aronhold-Kennedy theorem and the one
presented by Foster and Pennock6. Spherical
counterparts of these theorems are stated as follows.
if link k is removed then degree of freedom of the can be used to locate some, or all, of the remaining
mechanism becomes two. The Kutzbach mobility secondary instant poles.
criterion5 can be used to show that the new After using method 1 or method 2, if all the
mechanism has gained a degree of freedom. For this remaining secondary instant poles can not be located
new mechanism, the great circle, denoted as the great by the Aronhold-Kennedy theorem, then make a
circle n, on which Pij must lie, can be found using different choice of links i and j and apply either
theorem 2. Finally, instant pole Pij locates at the method again. Also, additional constraint can be
intersection of the great circles m and n. some, or all, chosen to minimum the number of steps required to
of the remaining secondary instant poles can be locate the instant pole.
found using the Aronhold-Kennedy theorem.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES
METHOD 2. Advantage of this method with respect
to the previous method is that it places no restriction In this section, the secondary instant poles of two
on the two links (i.e. links i and j). However this indeterminate single DOF spherical mechanisms are
method needs to the more geometric constructions. located to show the usefulness of the methods
The procedure is to replace one of the links, say link presented here.
j, by a pair of links, say links k and k, connected to
EXAMPLE. 1. A TEN BAR INDETERMINATE
each other through a revolute joint. The Kutzbach
SINGLE DOF SPHERICAL MECHANISM
mobility criterion can again be used to show that this
new mechanism has gained a degree of freedom. Figure 2 shows a ten bar indeterminate single DOF
This new joint may, or may not, be coincident with spherical mechanism. Links 2 and 9 slide on the
an existing joint (See example 2). Note that relative surface of reference sphere; also links 4 and 6 are
motion of links k and k with respect to link i, must connected to each other by a sliding joint. The focus
depend on both degrees of freedom of the new of this example is to locate the secondary instant pole
mechanism. If this is not the case, a different choice of the link 3, i.e. P13. Note that links 1 and 3 are
of links i and j must be made. Now, the great circles, connected to each other through a binary link, so first
on which instant poles Pik and Pik must lie method is used to locate the unknown instant pole.
respectively, can be found using the theorem 2. Links First, link 2 is removed which results in a two DOFs
k and k can be considered as a single link when they nine bar mechanism. This new mechanism along
have the same relative velocity with respect to any with 12 primary instant poles is shown in Fig. 3.
link of the mechanism, specially link i; in this case, Note that this mechanism has no four bar loops;
instant poles Pik and Pik are coincident and the new therefore, there are no secondary instant poles that
mechanism is equivalent to the original indeterminate can be found using the Aronhold-Kennedy Theorem.
spherical mechanism. Therefore, the secondary Also note that primary instant poles P19, P46 and P12
instant pole Pij locates at the intersection of the two are located at the intersection of great circles normal
great circles passing through Pik and Pik, to both spherical curves, slipping on each other, of
respectively. Now, the Aronhold-Kennedy theorem the correspondent slipping contact.
10
9
8
3
2
4 Weld
6
5
7
1
P46
10 P8-10
P3-10
8 9 P
89
3
P19 P34 P68
4
P45 P67
5
P15
7
P17
1
Instant pole P14 must lie on the great circle passing P213, Fig. 5. With reference to theorem 2, P13 must
through P15 and P45. An arbitrary point on this great lie on the great circle passing through P113 and P213,
circle is selected as the first choice for P14, denoted as shown in Fig. 5. Finally, link 2 is replaced to
as P114, as shown in Fig. 4; then location of instant restore the original mechanism. In the original
pole P113 can be obtained after locating instant mechanism, P14 must lie on the great circle passing
poles P116, P118, P148 and P138, respectively by use through P12 and P23. Point of intersection of the two
of the Aronhold-Kennedy Theorem, Fig. 4. Now a aforementioned great circles determines the
different point is selected on the locus of P14 as the location of instant pole P13, Fig. 6. The remaining
second choice of the instant pole P14, denoted as instant poles can be located by the Aronhold-
P214, see Fig. 5. Doing a procedure similar to the Kennedy Theorem.
previous step leads to the location of instant pole
P46
10 P8-10
P3-10
8 9
P 1 P118 P89 P1
13 38
3 P148
P19 P68
P34 6
4
5 P67
P45
P15
7
P114 1 P17
P116
P46
10 P8-10
P3-10 8 9
P218 P89
3 P248
2
P 13
P19 P34 P68
6
P238 4 P214
5 P45 P67
P15 P216
P17 7
1
P12
10
9
P13 8
3
P213 P113
2
4 6
5
7
1
EXAMPLE. 2. A INDETERMINATE SINGLE worth noting that links 4 and 8 are not connected to
FLIER EIGHT-BAR SPHERICAL MECHANISM each other by a binary link, so the method 1 can not
be used here.
Figure 7 shows a single flier eight-bar spherical
First, link 8 is replaced by two links, denoted as 8
mechanism. The purpose of this example is to
and 8, which results in a new two DOFs spherical
locate the secondary instant pole P48. The second
mechanism with nine links, Fig. 8. Note that
method is chosen to locate the instant pole. It is
secondary instant poles P13 and P24 can be located links i and j results in successfully locating all the
by Aronhold-Kennedy theorem. secondary instant poles. However, if links 3 and 8
Connecting joint of links 8 and 8 is considered to are chosen instead and therefore link 10 removed,
be coincident with P68 of the original single DOF then the only other secondary instant poles that can
mechanism. In this step, the two great circles, on be located by the Aronhold-Kennedy theorem are
which the instant poles P48 and P48 must lie, are P36, P48, P4-10 and P6-10. Therefore the choice of
found. Instant pole P27 must lie on the great circle links 3 and 8 does not lead to the locating all the
passing through P24 and P47; an arbitrary point on secondary instant poles.
this great circle is chosen as the first choice for the
instant pole P27 (denoted here as P127). This action CONCLUSION
reduces the two DOFs mechanism to a single DOF
This paper presents two geometrical methods to
mechanism in which the location of instant poles
locate the secondary instant poles of single DOF
P148 and P148 can be obtained after finding the
spherical mechanisms with kinematic
location of instant poles P137, P138, P128 and P128, indeterminacy. The paper shows that a secondary
respectively, using the Aronhold-Kennedy instant pole of a two DOFs spherical mechanism
theorem, see Fig. 9. lies somewhere on a unique great circle for a
Now, a second arbitrary point is chosen on the specific configuration of the mechanism. This fact
great circle as the location of instant pole P27 is used to locate the secondary instant pole at the
(denoted here as P227). In this case, repeating the intersection of two great circles; one of them is
above procedure, using P227, leads to the location of found in the original single DOF mechanism and
instant poles P248 and P248, Fig. 10. another is found after converting the mechanism
Links 8 and 8 act as a single link instantaneously into a two DOFs mechanism. Two techniques are
when P48 locates at the intersection of two great presented to convert a single DOF spherical
circles P148 P248 and P148 P248, as shown in Fig. 11. mechanism to two DOFs one; First technique is to
All of the remaining instant pole can be obtained remove a binary link and the second technique is to
using the Aronhold-Kennedy theorem. replace a single link with a dyad. The two methods
Note that this method requires a greater number of are illustrated by two examples of indeterminate
steps indicating that the first method should be single DOF spherical mechanisms. The methods
used whenever it is a valid method of solution. are purely graphical and can locate the secondary
For some indeterminate mechanisms, locating all instant pole in indeterminate spherical mechanisms
the secondary instant poles from the methods with little geometric constructions.
presented in this paper depends on the links chosen
as links i and j. For instance, in the first example
presented above, the choice of links 1 and 3 as
8
6
7
5 3
2 4
P58 8 6 P36 7
P25 P34
5 3
P47
P24 P23
2 4
P12 P14
8 6
P178 P36 7
P58
P128 P1
48 3 P 1
38
5
P25 P47
P34
P23
P 1
24 2 P137 4
P127
P128
P12 P14
P148
1
P12 P14
1
8 P78
P58 6
P36 7
5 P 1
48
P248
P25 3 P48
P47
P23 P34
P248
2 4
P12 P14
1
P148
[6] H. S. Yan, L. I. Wu, 1989, On the dead-center [9] R. Di Gregorio, 2008, An algorithm for
positions of planar linkage mechanisms, ASME J. analytically calculating the positions of the secondary
Mech., Transmissions, Autom. Des. Vol. 111 (1), pp. instant centers of indeterminate linkages, ASME J.
4046. Mech. Des. Vol. 130 (4), doi:10.1115/1.2839008.
[7] D. E. Foster, and G. R. Pennock, 2003, A [10] R. Di Gregorio, 2008, Determination of the
graphical method to find the secondary instantaneous instantaneous pole axes in single-DOF spherical
centers of zero velocity for the double butterfly mechanisms, Proceedings of the ASME
linkage. ASME J. Mech. Des., Vol. 125(2), pp. International Design Engineering Technical
268274. Conferences & Computers and Information in
[8] D. E. Foster, and G. R. Pennock, 2005, Engineering Conference, Brooklyn, New York, USA,
Graphical methods to locate the secondary instant August 3-6.
centers of single-degree-of-freedom indeterminate
linkages, ASME J. Mech. Des., Vol. 127(2), pp.
249256.