Synthesis of scalable planar scissor linkages with anti-parallelogram loops

Abstract

Scissor linkages are commonly used as mechanisms for scaling objects. They constitute a significant portion of deployable structures. Since 1960s many researchers sought to form novel structures using the scissor units. In 1990s Hoberman brought a new perspective to the field when he used the loops, not the units to form linkages. Starting from mid 2000s, other researchers joined into this new approach of design. One of the latest researches presented a design for scaling a circular forms with anti-parallelogram loops. This study shows that an anti-parallelogram loop assembly can also be used for scaling planar curves with variable curvature.