Incremental Configuration Space Construction for Mechanism Analysis

Abstract We present an incremental configuration space (CS) construction algorithm for mechanisms described as collections of subassemblies of rigid parts . The inputs are the initial subassembly configurations and the subassembly CSs partitioned into uniform motion regions in which part contacts are constant and motions are monotonic . The output is a partition of the mechanism CS into uniform motion regions . The algorithm optimizes CS construction by incrementally enumerating and testing only the regions reachable from the initial configuration . We implement the algorithm for subassemblies whose uniform motion regions are polyhedral or are of dimension two or lower . The program constructs the exact CS when possible and an approximate CS otherwise . The approximate CS usually is qualitatively correct and in good quantitative agreement with the true CS . The program covers most mechanisms composed of linkages and fixed-axes kinematic pairs, two subassembly types for which CS construction programs are available .