Biological Modeling and Evolution Based Synthesis of Metamorphic Mechanisms

Abstract

A methodology for synthesis and configuration design of metamorphic mechanisms is developed in this paper based on biological modeling and genetic evolution with biological building blocks. The goal is to conceive an appropriate source-metamorphic-mechanism configuration when the multiple phases of kinematic functions are given. The key enabler is the way of developing genetic evolution in modeling and design by capturing the metamorphic configuration characteristics. With the unique characteristic of achieving multiple working-phase functions in a mechanism, the metamorphic mechanism possesses two features: one, the ametabolic feature referring to the specified working phases that can be accomplished by a number of traditional mechanisms; two, the metamorphic feature occurring in transition between different working phases, resulting in change of topology of the mechanism. Based on this transition between phases, the concept of mechanism evolution is for the first time introduced in this paper based on biological building blocks in the form of metamorphic cells and associated intrinsic elements as the metamorphic gene. This leads to development of cell evolution and genetic aggregation with mechanism decomposition and evolutionary operation based on mapping from the source-metamorphic mechanism to multiphase working configurations. Examples are given to demonstrate the concept and principles.

Constraint analysis on mobility change of a novel metamorphic parallel mechanism

“…The study concluded that mechanisms can change their topology through change of kinematic joints and special mechanism configurations. Mechanism and Machine Theory 45 (2010) [1864][1865][1866][1867][1868][1869][1870][1871][1872][1873][1874][1875][1876] Recently, Zhang and Dai [21] developed a methodology for synthesis and configuration design of metamorphic mechanisms based on biological modelling and genetic evolution. Basic combination of links and joints was taken as metamorphic cells and genes to form the source-metamorphic mechanism that evolves into various topology configurations for expected working configurations.…”

A representation of the configurations and evolution of metamorphic mechanisms

“…A method for constructing original metamorphic mechanisms from biological modeling and genetic evolution was introduced in Wang and Dai (2007) and Zhang et al (2008). In this paper, based on Eq.…”

Recent development on innovation design of reconfigurable mechanisms in China

“…Recognizing that the concept of metamorphic mechanisms was based on the biological evolution principle, Zhang et al [18,19] proposed the metamorphic elements and metamorphic evolutionary techniques for the first time.…”