Type synthesis of parallel robotic mechanisms: Framework and brief review

• The framework provides a unified platform for communications and references.
• Reasoned and comprehensive introduction is provided for the five basic issues.
• The research status of the five basic issues in different type synthesis approaches is investigated.
• Recommendations for future research are made.

The research on type synthesis of parallel mechanisms (PMs) attracted adequate attention with the development of several distinctive methodologies in the robotics area. As the foundation of innovative products design, type synthesis, the most original part of mechanical system design, is endowed with important theoretical and practical value. Based on the review on several distinctive approaches, the framework of the type synthesis of PMs is studied in this paper. Reasoned and comprehensive introduction is provided for the five basic issues of the type synthesis of PMs. The research status and existing problems of these issues in distinctive approaches are investigated. The framework of the type synthesis of PMs constructed in this paper would provide a unified platform for communications and references among different approaches.