Design and Analysis of a Rigid-Flexible Parallel Mechanism for a Neck Brace

Abstract EN

A rigid-flexible parallel mechanism called 3-RXS mechanism as a neck brace for patients with head drooping symptoms (HDS) is presented.

The 3-RXS neck brace has a simple and light structure coupled with good rotation performance, so it can be used to assist the neck to achieve flexion and extension, lateral bend, and axial torsion.

Firstly, to prove that the X-shaped compliant joint has a rotational degree of freedom (DoF) and can be used in the 3-RRS spherical parallel mechanism (3-RRS SPM), the six-dimensional compliance matrix, axis drift, and DoF of the X-shaped compliant joint have been systematically calculated.

Secondly, the 3-RXS mechanism and its pseudo-rigid-body model (PRBM) are obtained by replacing the revolute pair with the X-shaped compliant joint in the 3-RRS SPM.

The rotation workspace of the 3-RXS mechanism is also performed.

Finally, to verify the rotation function and effect of 3-RXS mechanism for neck-assisted rehabilitation, the kinematics simulations of the 3-RXS and 3-RRS mechanisms are carried out and compared with the theoretical result, and a primary experiment for rotation measurement of 3-RXS mechanism prototype is carried out.

All results prove the feasibility of the 3-RXS mechanism for a neck brace.