In mechanical engineering, a kinematic diagram or kinematic scheme (also called a joint map or skeleton diagram) illustrates the connectivity of links and joints of a mechanism or machine rather than the dimensions or shape of the parts. Often links are presented as geometric objects, such as lines, triangles or squares, that support schematic versions of the joints of the mechanism or machine.[1]
For example, the figures show the kinematic diagrams (i) of the slider-crank that forms a piston and crank-shaft in an engine, and (ii) of the first three joints for a PUMA manipulator.
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| PUMA robot | and its kinematic diagram |
- ^ J. J. Uicker, G. R. Pennock, and J. E. Shigley, 2003, Theory of Machines and Mechanisms, Oxford University Press, New York.