Unified approach to the kinematic analysis of joint clearances and link length tolerances for determination of the rotational and positional accuracy of planar mechanisms

A unified approach to the kinematic analysis of joint clearances and link length tolerances in general mechanisms is presented, expressly with the purpose of predicting the error in both rotational and positional accuracy of planar and spatial mechanisms. Rather than applying stochastic estimation or deterministically-based approximations based on a Taylor series expansion approach, this new method obtains the exact mechanical error based on a combination of approaches including the principle of virtual work, pertinent geometrical relations, and kinetostatic analysis.