UniversitÈ Laval

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Clément Gosselin

Thierry Laliberte

James W Wells

Muhammad E Abdallah

Simon Foucault

Pascal Labrecque

Xianwen Kong

Kefei Wen

David Harton

Thierry Laliberté

A spatial parallel mechanism comprises a platform. Three or more legs configured for extending from a base or ground to the platform, each leg has a distal link, one or more distal joint providing one rotational degree of freedom (DOF) about a distal rotational axis, the distal joint connecting a distal end of the distal link to the platform. A proximal joint provides at least two rotational DOFs at the proximal end of the distal link. Assemblies of joints and links provide DOFs to each said leg between the proximal joint and the base or ground. The distal rotational axes of the three legs are parallel to one another.

Parallel mechanism with kinematically redundant actuation

An articulated compliance mechanism for use with a support structure includes a carriage and a pair of parallel four-bar linkage arrangements. The arrangements collectively have a first set of links configured to rigidly connect to the support structure, a second set of links rotatably coupled to the carriage a distance from the first set of links, and a third set of links rotatably coupled to and spanning the distance. The compliance mechanism supports and provides the carriage, e.g., a rectangular shaped frame, with a stable equilibrium point using a gravitational restoring force, and provides the carriage with a passive translational degree of freedom along a horizontal axis in response to an input force from an operator. An additional compliance mechanism may be serially connected to provide a passive translational degree of freedom along a vertical axis. A system includes the compliance mechanism and support structure.

Articulated mechanism for linear compliance

A construction member, comprising an elongated body having a longitudinal dimension with a first end and a second end. Complementary end rotational joint portions are provided at the first end and at the second end of the elongated body, for interconnecting first end to second end a plurality of the construction member so as to form a polygon with construction members. A longitudinal rotational joint portion is provided in the longitudinal dimension of the elongated body for interconnecting two longitudinally adjacent ones of the construction member so as to interconnect polygons of the construction member at a common edge of the polygons to form a polyhedron.

Construction members for three-dimensional assemblies

A manipulator for receiving and displacing an object, comprising a moving portion, adapted to receive the object. Four support legs each extend between the moving portion and a ground for supporting the moving portion. Each support leg is connected to the ground by a first joint, and with sequentially second, third, fourth and fifth joints connecting the first joints to the moving portion. The support legs are topologically equivalent to one another with respect to the joints. Each of the support legs has constraints in the joints operable to restrict movement of the moving portion to three translational degrees of freedom and one rotational degree of freedom. Actuators are each operatively connected to a different first joint for controlling the movement of the moving portion in any one of the four translational degrees of freedom. A method for controlling the movement of the moving portion is provided.

Parallel manipulators with four degrees of freedom

Growing community of inventors

Sillery, Canada

Clément Gosselin