New Angular Transmission Design Based on a Four-Bar Linkage Mechanism

This paper presents a new angular transmission device based on a four-bar linkage mechanism. This mechanism consists of a four-bar linkage and an output gear similar to the Geneva drive. When the input link of the four-bar linkage is rotated once, the trajectory of the coupler point is generated. Then, the coupler point drives the motion of the output gear. To rotate the output gear by a specific angle, the design of the four-bar linkage is very important. The mechanism was generated using a new method for four-bar linkage design. Unlike some conventional methods, the new method can consider both the trajectory and the velocity of a coupler point. The new device has two advantages compared to the Geneva drive. Firstly, because the positions of the input and output axes are close to each other, the space efficiency of the new device is higher than that of the Geneva drive. Secondly, the duty factor of the new device is larger than that of the Geneva drive, and the mechanical loads applied to the output gear, such as that from acceleration, are much lower. Kinematic and dynamic simulation analysis was conducted to verify the advantages of the new device.