Throughout the course of Robot Mechanism Design Class, I have learned how to apply the concepts of position analysis, velocity analysis, and acceleration analysis of mechanisms. To learn more about the application of these concepts, I will create a prototype of a 6 bar window opening and closing mechanism.
The goal of this prototype can be described as the following: The 6-bar window mechanism will utilize complex motion to rotate the window open when a experiencing a clockwise angular velocity. The complex motion will enable rotation and linear displacement to allow a window to open without hitting the frame. The input crank will open the window when susceptible to clockwise rotation, and close the window when susceptible to counterclockwise rotation.
This design was produced at Texas InventionWorks. I used a laser cutter to create all of the links. I used bolts and nuts to produce the rotating joints, and I applied a flange bearing in each rotating link to reduce friction. The sliding rotating joints were made out of pins to generate minimal friction which allowed the joints to slide smoothly.
The kinematic diagram of the 6-bar window mechanism is shown below. The design has 5 links, 5 full joints, and 1 half joint. According to Gruebler's equation, this design has 1 degree of freedom.
