What are linkages in the mechanism toys??

Linkages include garage door mechanisms,car wiper mechanisms,gear shift mechanisms. They are a very important part of mechanical engineering which is given very little attention by most people.

A link is defined as a rigid body having two or more pairing elements which connect it to other bodies for the purpose of transmitting force or motion.In every machine, at least one link either occupies a fixed position relative to the earth or carries the machine as a whole along with it during motion.This link is the frame of the machine and is called the fixed link.

An arrangement based on components connected by rotary or sliding interfaces only is called a linkage.These type of connections, revolute and prismatic, are called lower pairs. Higher pairs are based on point line or curve interfaces.Examples of lower pairs include hinges rotary bearings,slideways,universal couplings.Examples of higher pairs include cams and gears.

Kinematic analysis, a particular given mechanism is investigated based on the mechanism geometry plus factors which identify the motion such as input angular velocity, angular acceleration,etc.Kinematic synthesis is the process of designing a mechanism to accomplish a desired task.Here,both choosing the types as well as the dimensions of the new mechanism can be part of kinematic synthesis.