Type synthesis of 5-DOF parallel manipulators

The number of 5-DOF parallel manipulators is fairly small and it has been believed for a long time that there are no symmetrical 5-DOF parallel manipulators with full-cycle mobility. In this paper, the type synthesis of 5-DOF parallel manipulators is performed systematically by the constraint-synthesis method. Novel 5-DOF symmetrical and asymmetrical parallel manipulators with full-cycle mobility are enumerated. Moreover, structural characteristics of the 5-DOF parallel manipulators are revealed.