A reliability-based analysis approach to mechanical error in path generating linkages is pre- sented . The reliability index is taken as a measure for the deviation of the actual path of a coupler point from the desir...A reliability-based analysis approach to mechanical error in path generating linkages is pre- sented . The reliability index is taken as a measure for the deviation of the actual path of a coupler point from the desired one. A reliability-based synthesis procedure of the mechanical error for path generating linkages to allocate optimal tolerances and clearances is developed. A four-bar path generating mechanism is considered for numerical illustration.展开更多
Backfill hydraulic support is the key equipment in achieving coal mining and solid backfilling simultaneously in solid backfill mining technology.Based on the summary and analysis of main types,basic structural proper...Backfill hydraulic support is the key equipment in achieving coal mining and solid backfilling simultaneously in solid backfill mining technology.Based on the summary and analysis of main types,basic structural properties and filed application of backfill hydraulic support,this work has firstly proposed the basic principle of backfill hydraulic support optimization design and provided the method of optimal design of key structural components,like four-bar linkage,rear canopy and tamping structure;the method is further elaborated as changing hinging position of upper bar to optimize four-bar linkage,by lengthening or shortening the rear canopy to optimize length ratio of canopy;and by changing length and hinging position of tamping structure as well as suspension height of backfill scrape conveyor to realize optimization of tamping structure.On this basis,the process of optimal design of backfill hydraulic support is built.The optimal design case of ZC5200/14.5/30 six columns-four bar linkage used in 7203 W workface of Zhaizhen Coal Mine shows that the backfill properties like horizontal roof gap,vertical horizontal gap,tamping angle and tamping head gap are improved obviously through optimizing four-bar linkage,canopy length and tamping structure according to the optimal design method proposed in this work.展开更多
The conventional beam pumping unh consumes a large amount of energy due to its unsmooth movement. In this work, we design a new energy-saving parallel four-bar pumping unit and derive the kinematic and dynamic law of ...The conventional beam pumping unh consumes a large amount of energy due to its unsmooth movement. In this work, we design a new energy-saving parallel four-bar pumping unit and derive the kinematic and dynamic law of the drive mechanism systematically by theoretical method. For the given target technical parameter, the theoretical results are verified by computer simulation, which shows that the simulation dynamic curves agree well with the theoretical ones and the calculated power consumption is low. Theoretical analysis shows that the newly designed pumping unit reduces average power by 28.8% compared with its conventional counterpart. The much lower theoretical energy consumption and the better dynamic performance indicate that the new energy-saving pumping unit is well designed and will have a significant application prospect.展开更多
In this work, we develop an artificial foldable wing that mimics the hind wing of a beetle （Allomyrina dichotoma）. In real flight, the beetle unfolds forewings and hind wings, and maintains the unfolded configuratio...In this work, we develop an artificial foldable wing that mimics the hind wing of a beetle （Allomyrina dichotoma）. In real flight, the beetle unfolds forewings and hind wings, and maintains the unfolded configuration unless it is exhausted. The artificial wing has to be able to maintain a fully unfolded configuration while flapping at a desirable flapping frequency. The artificial foldable hind wing developed in this work is based on two four-bar linkages which adapt the behaviors of the beetle＇s hind wing. The four-bar-linkages are designed to mimic rotational motion of the wing base and the vein folding/unfolding motion of the beetle＇s hind wing. The behavior of the artificial wings, which are installed in a flapping-wing system, is observed using a high-speed camera. The observation shows that the wing could maintain a fully unfolded configuration during flapping motion. A series of thrust measurements are also conducted to estimate the force generated by the flapping-wing system with foldable artificial wings. Although the artificial foldable wings give added burden to the flapping-wing system because of its weight, the thrust measurement results show that the flapping-wing system could still generate reasonable thrust.展开更多
In order to achieve large tolerance capture and high stiffness connection for space payload operations,a Chinese large-scale space end-effector (EER) was developed.Three flexible steel cables were adopted to capture t...In order to achieve large tolerance capture and high stiffness connection for space payload operations,a Chinese large-scale space end-effector (EER) was developed.Three flexible steel cables were adopted to capture the payload with large capture allowance.Ball screw transmission mechanism and plane shape-constraint four bar linkage mechanism were utilized to connect the payload with high stiffness.The experiments show that capture tolerances in X,Y,Z,Pitch,Yaw,Roll directions are 100 mm,100 mm,120 mm,10.5°,10.5°,12°,respectively.The maximum connection stiffness is 4 800 N·m.The end-effector could meet the requirements for space large tolerance capture and high stiffness connection in the future.展开更多
Raptors can change the shape and area of their wings to an exceptional degree in a fast and efficient manner,surpassing other birds,insects,or bats.Some researchers have focused on the functional properties of muscle ...Raptors can change the shape and area of their wings to an exceptional degree in a fast and efficient manner,surpassing other birds,insects,or bats.Some researchers have focused on the functional properties of muscle skeletons,mechanics,and flapping robot design.However,the wing motion of the birds of prey has not been measured quantitatively,and synthetic bionic wings with morphing abilities similar to raptors are far from reality.Therefore,in the current study,a 3D suspension system for holding bird carcasses was designed and fabricated to fasten the wings of Falco Peregrinus with a series of morphing postures.Subsequently,the wing skeleton of the falcon was scanned during extending motions using the computed tomography(CT)approach to obtain three consecutive poses.Subsequently,the skeleton was reconstructed to identify the contribution of the forelimb bones to the extending/folding motions.Inspired by these findings,we propose a simple mechanical model with four bones to form a wing-morphing mechanism using the proposed pose optimisation method.Finally,a bionic wing mechanism was implemented to imitate the motion of the falcon wing—divided into inner and outer wings with folding and twisting motions.The results show that the proposed four-bar mechanism can track bone motion paths with high fidelity.展开更多
Bionic-based robotic legs enable the legged robots with elegant and agile mobility in multi-terrain environment,just like natural living beings.And the smart design could efficiently improve the performance of a robot...Bionic-based robotic legs enable the legged robots with elegant and agile mobility in multi-terrain environment,just like natural living beings.And the smart design could efficiently improve the performance of a robotic leg.Inspired by the simplified human leg structure,we present a 3-DOF robotic leg—OmniLeg,that is capable of making omnidirectional legged locomotion while keeping constant posture of the foot.Additionally,the concentrated drive mode,in which all the motor actuators are installed in the torso and do not move with the leg,minimizes the inertia of the robotic leg.In this paper,the modular design,the kinematics model,the structural analysis,the workspace,and the performance evaluation of the OmniLeg are discussed.Furthermore,we build a prototype based on the proposed design,and the precision of it is verified by the error calibration experiment which is conducted by tracking the trajectory of the prototype’s endpoint.Then,we present an OmniLeg-based single legged mobile robot.The capability of omnidirectional legged locomotion of the OmniLeg is demonstrated by the experiments.展开更多
For a spherical four-bar linkage,the maximum number of the spherical RR dyad（R：revolute joint）of five-orientation motion generation can be at most 6.However,complete real solution of this problem has seldom been st...For a spherical four-bar linkage,the maximum number of the spherical RR dyad（R：revolute joint）of five-orientation motion generation can be at most 6.However,complete real solution of this problem has seldom been studied.In order to obtain six real RR dyads,based on Strum＇s theorem,the relationships between the design parameters are derived from a 6th-degree univariate polynomial equation that is deduced from the constraint equations of the spherical RR dyad by using Dixon resultant method.Moreover,the Grashof condition and the circuit defect condition are taken into account.Given the relationships between the design parameters and the aforementioned two conditions,two objective functions are constructed and optimized by the adaptive genetic algorithm（AGA）.Two examples with six real spherical RR dyads are obtained by optimization,and the results verify the feasibility of the proposed method.The paper provides a method to synthesize the complete real solution of the five-orientation motion generation,which is also applicable to the problem that deduces to a univariate polynomial equation and requires the generation of as many as real roots.展开更多
A new algorithm called homotopy iteration method based on the homotopy function is studied and improved. By the improved homotopy iteration method, Polynomial systems with high Order and deficient can be solved fast a...A new algorithm called homotopy iteration method based on the homotopy function is studied and improved. By the improved homotopy iteration method, Polynomial systems with high Order and deficient can be solved fast and efficiently comparing to the original homotopy iteration method. Numerical examples for the ninepoint path synthesis of four-bar linkages show the advantages and efficiency of the improved homotopy iteration method.展开更多
A 3D model of the spatial four-bar weft insertion mechanism was built with unigraphics NX(UG) according to the actual requirement,and dynamics simulation was carried out by importing the model into ADAMS.Without consi...A 3D model of the spatial four-bar weft insertion mechanism was built with unigraphics NX(UG) according to the actual requirement,and dynamics simulation was carried out by importing the model into ADAMS.Without considering the clearance,the motion characteristic curve of the sword belt was generated through ADAMS combined with MATLAB.In this paper the hinge between the rod and the sector gear was selected as an example with different values of clearance,outputting the motion characteristic curve of the sword belt.Finite element analysis(FEA)was conducted,the flexible body was generated by importing the forked frame into ANSYS,and flexible dynamics simulation was carried out by importing the flexible body into ADAMS to replace the rigid rod.A comprehensive comparison of the output characteristics of the sword belt was conducted in the consideration of the clearance or flexible.Analysis of the force on the left hinge of the rod was carried out with the ADAMS post processing module.With the same clearance,considering the flexibility,amplitude of fluctuation of the force on the hinge increased obviously.展开更多
Planar kinematics has been studied systematically based on centrodes, however axodes are underutilized to set up the curvature theories in spherical and spatial kinematics. Through a spherical adjoint approach, an axo...Planar kinematics has been studied systematically based on centrodes, however axodes are underutilized to set up the curvature theories in spherical and spatial kinematics. Through a spherical adjoint approach, an axode-based theoretical system of spherical kinematics is established. The spherical motion is re-described by the adjoint approach and vector equation of spherical instant center is concisely derived. The moving and fixed axodes for spherical motion are mapped onto a unit sphere to obtain spherical centrodes, whose kinematic invariants totally reflect the intrinsic property of spherical motion. Based on the spherical centrodes, the curvature theories for a point and a plane of a rigid body in spherical motion are revealed by spherical fixed point and plane conditions. The Euler-Savary analogue for point-path is presented. Tracing points with higher order curvature features are located in the moving body by means of algebraic equations. For plane-envelope, the construction parameters are obtained. The osculating conditions for plane-envelope and circular cylindrical surface or circular conical surface are given. A spherical four-bar linkage is taken as an example to demonstrate the spherical adjoint approach and the curvature theories. The research proposes systematic spherical curvature theories with the axode as logical starting-point, and sets up a bridge from the centrode-based planar kinematics to the axode-based spatial kinematics.展开更多
For the four-bar beating-up mechanism of air-jet loom,the plain bearing of linkage is the bearing with dynamic load,and is immersed in the lubricant-box.If the joint clearance is considered,the research on linkage mov...For the four-bar beating-up mechanism of air-jet loom,the plain bearing of linkage is the bearing with dynamic load,and is immersed in the lubricant-box.If the joint clearance is considered,the research on linkage movement could be very complicated.In this paper,the kinematic characteristics of four-bar beating-up mechanism with joint clearance were studied by analyzing the trace of journal center and the balance of radial,tangential forces,and bearing load.The region of principal vibration and its forming causes were discussed.And the results could interpret the measuring curves of four-bar beating-up mechanism completely.展开更多
In this study, a luggage door mechanism to be used in commercial vehicles such as midibuses and buses is designed and analyzed. The mechanism is designed as a parallel hinged system. Velocities, rotational veloci- tie...In this study, a luggage door mechanism to be used in commercial vehicles such as midibuses and buses is designed and analyzed. The mechanism is designed as a parallel hinged system. Velocities, rotational veloci- ties and rotational accelerations of selected points on the design are calculated. Furthermore, the experiment- tal model of the design is established and it is seen that the data taken from the model are compatible with the calculated results. The aim of this study is to design a mechanism with the minimal workspace so that the door can be utilized in narrow areas and the ergonomics of the luggage door is improved. Considering both commercial and passenger vehicle sales, vehicle interior and exterior trim features have an exceptionally important role in automotive industry, in addition to vehicle performance characteristics. In today’s compete- tive environment, parts used in a vehicle’s internal and external trim have to meet user demands in terms of ergonomics as well as aesthetics. Due to its similarity to a four-bar mechanism, kinematics analysis of the design was carried out based on a four-bar mechanism, which is used extensively in industry.展开更多
One of the major problems faced by hand amputees is the unavailability of a lightweight and powered multi-functional hand prosthesis. Under-actuated finger designs play a key role to make the hand prosthesis lightweig...One of the major problems faced by hand amputees is the unavailability of a lightweight and powered multi-functional hand prosthesis. Under-actuated finger designs play a key role to make the hand prosthesis lightweight. In this paper, a hand prosthesis with an under-actuated and self-adaptive finger mechanism is proposed. The proposed finger is capable to generate passively different flexion/extension angles for a proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint and a distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint for each flexion angle of metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint. In addition, DIP joint is capable to generate different angles for the same angle of PIP joint. Hand prosthesis is built on the proposed finger mechanism. The hand prosthesis enables user to grasp objects with various geometries by performing five grasping patterns. Thumb of the hand prosthesis includes opposition/apposition in addition to flexion/extension of MCP and interphalangeal (IP) joint. Kinematic analysis of the proposed finger has been carried out to verify the movable range of the joints. Simulations and experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed finger mechanism and the hand prosthesis.展开更多
文摘A reliability-based analysis approach to mechanical error in path generating linkages is pre- sented . The reliability index is taken as a measure for the deviation of the actual path of a coupler point from the desired one. A reliability-based synthesis procedure of the mechanical error for path generating linkages to allocate optimal tolerances and clearances is developed. A four-bar path generating mechanism is considered for numerical illustration.
基金Project(2017QNA21)supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of ChinaProject supported by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(PAPD),China
文摘Backfill hydraulic support is the key equipment in achieving coal mining and solid backfilling simultaneously in solid backfill mining technology.Based on the summary and analysis of main types,basic structural properties and filed application of backfill hydraulic support,this work has firstly proposed the basic principle of backfill hydraulic support optimization design and provided the method of optimal design of key structural components,like four-bar linkage,rear canopy and tamping structure;the method is further elaborated as changing hinging position of upper bar to optimize four-bar linkage,by lengthening or shortening the rear canopy to optimize length ratio of canopy;and by changing length and hinging position of tamping structure as well as suspension height of backfill scrape conveyor to realize optimization of tamping structure.On this basis,the process of optimal design of backfill hydraulic support is built.The optimal design case of ZC5200/14.5/30 six columns-four bar linkage used in 7203 W workface of Zhaizhen Coal Mine shows that the backfill properties like horizontal roof gap,vertical horizontal gap,tamping angle and tamping head gap are improved obviously through optimizing four-bar linkage,canopy length and tamping structure according to the optimal design method proposed in this work.
基金Supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology Innovation Fund for SMEs (09C26214204812)the Venture Capital Fund for SMEs (09C26154204991)
文摘The conventional beam pumping unh consumes a large amount of energy due to its unsmooth movement. In this work, we design a new energy-saving parallel four-bar pumping unit and derive the kinematic and dynamic law of the drive mechanism systematically by theoretical method. For the given target technical parameter, the theoretical results are verified by computer simulation, which shows that the simulation dynamic curves agree well with the theoretical ones and the calculated power consumption is low. Theoretical analysis shows that the newly designed pumping unit reduces average power by 28.8% compared with its conventional counterpart. The much lower theoretical energy consumption and the better dynamic performance indicate that the new energy-saving pumping unit is well designed and will have a significant application prospect.
文摘In this work, we develop an artificial foldable wing that mimics the hind wing of a beetle （Allomyrina dichotoma）. In real flight, the beetle unfolds forewings and hind wings, and maintains the unfolded configuration unless it is exhausted. The artificial wing has to be able to maintain a fully unfolded configuration while flapping at a desirable flapping frequency. The artificial foldable hind wing developed in this work is based on two four-bar linkages which adapt the behaviors of the beetle＇s hind wing. The four-bar-linkages are designed to mimic rotational motion of the wing base and the vein folding/unfolding motion of the beetle＇s hind wing. The behavior of the artificial wings, which are installed in a flapping-wing system, is observed using a high-speed camera. The observation shows that the wing could maintain a fully unfolded configuration during flapping motion. A series of thrust measurements are also conducted to estimate the force generated by the flapping-wing system with foldable artificial wings. Although the artificial foldable wings give added burden to the flapping-wing system because of its weight, the thrust measurement results show that the flapping-wing system could still generate reasonable thrust.
基金Project(2006AA04Z228) supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China
文摘In order to achieve large tolerance capture and high stiffness connection for space payload operations,a Chinese large-scale space end-effector (EER) was developed.Three flexible steel cables were adopted to capture the payload with large capture allowance.Ball screw transmission mechanism and plane shape-constraint four bar linkage mechanism were utilized to connect the payload with high stiffness.The experiments show that capture tolerances in X,Y,Z,Pitch,Yaw,Roll directions are 100 mm,100 mm,120 mm,10.5°,10.5°,12°,respectively.The maximum connection stiffness is 4 800 N·m.The end-effector could meet the requirements for space large tolerance capture and high stiffness connection in the future.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(52175279,51705459)Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province(LY20E050022).
文摘Raptors can change the shape and area of their wings to an exceptional degree in a fast and efficient manner,surpassing other birds,insects,or bats.Some researchers have focused on the functional properties of muscle skeletons,mechanics,and flapping robot design.However,the wing motion of the birds of prey has not been measured quantitatively,and synthetic bionic wings with morphing abilities similar to raptors are far from reality.Therefore,in the current study,a 3D suspension system for holding bird carcasses was designed and fabricated to fasten the wings of Falco Peregrinus with a series of morphing postures.Subsequently,the wing skeleton of the falcon was scanned during extending motions using the computed tomography(CT)approach to obtain three consecutive poses.Subsequently,the skeleton was reconstructed to identify the contribution of the forelimb bones to the extending/folding motions.Inspired by these findings,we propose a simple mechanical model with four bones to form a wing-morphing mechanism using the proposed pose optimisation method.Finally,a bionic wing mechanism was implemented to imitate the motion of the falcon wing—divided into inner and outer wings with folding and twisting motions.The results show that the proposed four-bar mechanism can track bone motion paths with high fidelity.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NO.52175069).
文摘Bionic-based robotic legs enable the legged robots with elegant and agile mobility in multi-terrain environment,just like natural living beings.And the smart design could efficiently improve the performance of a robotic leg.Inspired by the simplified human leg structure,we present a 3-DOF robotic leg—OmniLeg,that is capable of making omnidirectional legged locomotion while keeping constant posture of the foot.Additionally,the concentrated drive mode,in which all the motor actuators are installed in the torso and do not move with the leg,minimizes the inertia of the robotic leg.In this paper,the modular design,the kinematics model,the structural analysis,the workspace,and the performance evaluation of the OmniLeg are discussed.Furthermore,we build a prototype based on the proposed design,and the precision of it is verified by the error calibration experiment which is conducted by tracking the trajectory of the prototype’s endpoint.Then,we present an OmniLeg-based single legged mobile robot.The capability of omnidirectional legged locomotion of the OmniLeg is demonstrated by the experiments.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.51375059,61105103)National Hi-tech Research and Development Program of China(863 Program,Grant No.2011AA040203)Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.4132032)
文摘For a spherical four-bar linkage,the maximum number of the spherical RR dyad（R：revolute joint）of five-orientation motion generation can be at most 6.However,complete real solution of this problem has seldom been studied.In order to obtain six real RR dyads,based on Strum＇s theorem,the relationships between the design parameters are derived from a 6th-degree univariate polynomial equation that is deduced from the constraint equations of the spherical RR dyad by using Dixon resultant method.Moreover,the Grashof condition and the circuit defect condition are taken into account.Given the relationships between the design parameters and the aforementioned two conditions,two objective functions are constructed and optimized by the adaptive genetic algorithm（AGA）.Two examples with six real spherical RR dyads are obtained by optimization,and the results verify the feasibility of the proposed method.The paper provides a method to synthesize the complete real solution of the five-orientation motion generation,which is also applicable to the problem that deduces to a univariate polynomial equation and requires the generation of as many as real roots.
文摘A new algorithm called homotopy iteration method based on the homotopy function is studied and improved. By the improved homotopy iteration method, Polynomial systems with high Order and deficient can be solved fast and efficiently comparing to the original homotopy iteration method. Numerical examples for the ninepoint path synthesis of four-bar linkages show the advantages and efficiency of the improved homotopy iteration method.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51175475)Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province,China(No.LY14E050027)
文摘A 3D model of the spatial four-bar weft insertion mechanism was built with unigraphics NX(UG) according to the actual requirement,and dynamics simulation was carried out by importing the model into ADAMS.Without considering the clearance,the motion characteristic curve of the sword belt was generated through ADAMS combined with MATLAB.In this paper the hinge between the rod and the sector gear was selected as an example with different values of clearance,outputting the motion characteristic curve of the sword belt.Finite element analysis(FEA)was conducted,the flexible body was generated by importing the forked frame into ANSYS,and flexible dynamics simulation was carried out by importing the flexible body into ADAMS to replace the rigid rod.A comprehensive comparison of the output characteristics of the sword belt was conducted in the consideration of the clearance or flexible.Analysis of the force on the left hinge of the rod was carried out with the ADAMS post processing module.With the same clearance,considering the flexibility,amplitude of fluctuation of the force on the hinge increased obviously.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.51275067)
文摘Planar kinematics has been studied systematically based on centrodes, however axodes are underutilized to set up the curvature theories in spherical and spatial kinematics. Through a spherical adjoint approach, an axode-based theoretical system of spherical kinematics is established. The spherical motion is re-described by the adjoint approach and vector equation of spherical instant center is concisely derived. The moving and fixed axodes for spherical motion are mapped onto a unit sphere to obtain spherical centrodes, whose kinematic invariants totally reflect the intrinsic property of spherical motion. Based on the spherical centrodes, the curvature theories for a point and a plane of a rigid body in spherical motion are revealed by spherical fixed point and plane conditions. The Euler-Savary analogue for point-path is presented. Tracing points with higher order curvature features are located in the moving body by means of algebraic equations. For plane-envelope, the construction parameters are obtained. The osculating conditions for plane-envelope and circular cylindrical surface or circular conical surface are given. A spherical four-bar linkage is taken as an example to demonstrate the spherical adjoint approach and the curvature theories. The research proposes systematic spherical curvature theories with the axode as logical starting-point, and sets up a bridge from the centrode-based planar kinematics to the axode-based spatial kinematics.
文摘For the four-bar beating-up mechanism of air-jet loom,the plain bearing of linkage is the bearing with dynamic load,and is immersed in the lubricant-box.If the joint clearance is considered,the research on linkage movement could be very complicated.In this paper,the kinematic characteristics of four-bar beating-up mechanism with joint clearance were studied by analyzing the trace of journal center and the balance of radial,tangential forces,and bearing load.The region of principal vibration and its forming causes were discussed.And the results could interpret the measuring curves of four-bar beating-up mechanism completely.
文摘In this study, a luggage door mechanism to be used in commercial vehicles such as midibuses and buses is designed and analyzed. The mechanism is designed as a parallel hinged system. Velocities, rotational veloci- ties and rotational accelerations of selected points on the design are calculated. Furthermore, the experiment- tal model of the design is established and it is seen that the data taken from the model are compatible with the calculated results. The aim of this study is to design a mechanism with the minimal workspace so that the door can be utilized in narrow areas and the ergonomics of the luggage door is improved. Considering both commercial and passenger vehicle sales, vehicle interior and exterior trim features have an exceptionally important role in automotive industry, in addition to vehicle performance characteristics. In today’s compete- tive environment, parts used in a vehicle’s internal and external trim have to meet user demands in terms of ergonomics as well as aesthetics. Due to its similarity to a four-bar mechanism, kinematics analysis of the design was carried out based on a four-bar mechanism, which is used extensively in industry.
文摘One of the major problems faced by hand amputees is the unavailability of a lightweight and powered multi-functional hand prosthesis. Under-actuated finger designs play a key role to make the hand prosthesis lightweight. In this paper, a hand prosthesis with an under-actuated and self-adaptive finger mechanism is proposed. The proposed finger is capable to generate passively different flexion/extension angles for a proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint and a distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint for each flexion angle of metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint. In addition, DIP joint is capable to generate different angles for the same angle of PIP joint. Hand prosthesis is built on the proposed finger mechanism. The hand prosthesis enables user to grasp objects with various geometries by performing five grasping patterns. Thumb of the hand prosthesis includes opposition/apposition in addition to flexion/extension of MCP and interphalangeal (IP) joint. Kinematic analysis of the proposed finger has been carried out to verify the movable range of the joints. Simulations and experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed finger mechanism and the hand prosthesis.
