A Foldable 3-DOF Parallel Mechanism With Application to a Flat-Panel TV Mounting Device

Abstract

This paper deals with a new 3-degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel mechanism for a flat-panel TV mounting device with two rotations and one translation. The most important operational requirements of this device are that it should support the heavy weight of the flat-panel TV and should be foldable to save space between the flat panel and the wall. An asymmetric parallel structure that has three kinematic chains with internal four-bar linkage is proposed to meet such requirements. Kinematic modeling was performed along with actuator sizing. Finally, the mechanism was developed and tested to show its effectiveness as a flat-panel TV mounting device.