Planar Overconstrained Mechanisms of the Linkage and Compliant Type

A repertoire of planar overconstrained mechanisms, with emphasis on practical ones, is provided in this paper. Distinction is made between such mechanisms which owe their mobility to joint clearances and link elasticities, and those which move because of their special geometries. Also discussed are planar overconstrained compliant mechanisms, for which slight geometry changes caused by external or internally induced forces (such as through uneven heating) can stiffen the respective mechanism. These properties are applicable in the design of locking devices, mechanical filters, and tunable resonators, including for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) applications.