Closed-Loop Tape Springs as Fully Compliant Mechanisms: Preliminary Investigations

Author(s):  
Christine Vehar ◽  
Sridhar Kota ◽  
Robert Dennis

The paper introduces tape springs as elements of fully compliant mechanisms. The localized folds of tape springs serve as compact revolute joints, with a very small radius and large range of motion, and the unfolded straight segments serve as links. By exploiting a tape spring’s ability to function as both links and joints, we present a new method of realizing fully compliant mechanisms with further simplification in their construction. Tape springs, typically found in carpenter tape rules, are thin-walled strips having constant thickness, zero longitudinal curvature, and a constant transverse curvature. The paper presents a closed-loop tape spring mechanism. By representing its folds as idealized revolute joints and its variable length links as sliding joints connecting rigid links, we present a modified Gruebler’s equation to determine its kinematic and idle degrees of freedom. To realize practical utility of tape spring mechanisms, we propose a simple actuation scheme incorporating shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuators and successfully demonstrate its performance with a proof-of-concept prototype. The paper also presents potential applications for actuated tape spring mechanisms including a large displacement translational mechanism, planar positioning mechanisms, bi-stable, multi-stable, and variable stiffness mechanisms.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelica Ginnante ◽  
François Leborne ◽  
Stéphane Caro ◽  
Enrico Simetti ◽  
Giuseppe Casalino

Abstract The essential characteristics of machining robots are their stiffness and their accuracy. For machining tasks, serial robots have many advantages such as large workspace to footprint ratio, but they often lack the stiffness required for accurately milling hard materials. One way to increase the stiffness of serial manipulators is to make their joints using closed-loop or parallel mechanisms instead of using classical prismatic and revolute joints. This increases the accuracy of a manipulator without reducing its workspace. This paper introduces an innovative two degrees of freedom closed-loop mechanism and shows how it can be used to build serial robots featuring both high stiffness and large workspace. The design of this mechanism is described through its geometric and kinematic models. Then, the kinematic performance of the mechanism is analyzed, and a serial arrangement of several such mechanisms is proposed to obtain a potential design of a machining robot.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaobin Tian ◽  
Yan-An Yao ◽  
Jieyu Wang

In this paper, a rolling mechanism constructed by a spatial 8-bar linkage is proposed. The eight links are connected with eight revolute joints, forming a single closed-loop with two degrees of freedom (DOF). By kinematic analysis, the mechanism can be deformed into planar parallelogram or spherical 4-bar mechanism (SFM) configuration. Furthermore, this mechanism can be folded onto a plane at its singularity positions. The rolling capability is analyzed based on the zero-moment-point (ZMP) theory. In the first configuration, the mechanism can roll along a straight line. In the second configuration, it can roll along a polygonal region and change its rolling direction. By alternatively choosing one of the two configurations, the mechanism has the capability to roll along any direction on the ground. Finally, a prototype was manufactured and some experiments were carried out to verify the functions of the mechanism.


2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huang Long ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
Xiao Jingjing ◽  
Su Peng

The remote center of motion (RCM) mechanism is an important component of a minimally invasive surgery (MIS) robot. The feature of the RCM mechanism is that the output link can rotate around a fixed point and translate along an axis which passes the point; however, there is no revolute joint at the fixed point. The 3R1T RCM mechanism, which meets all the degrees-of-freedom (DOF) requirements of arbitrary MIS tools, can be assembled through many methods. An effective method is combining a planar closed-loop 1R1T RCM mechanism and two revolute joints. In this paper, we present an approach to construct 1R1T RCM mechanisms from pantograph mechanisms. First, pantograph mechanisms are divided into seven classifications according to the geometric transformations they represent. The concept of rigid motion tracking mechanism (RMTM) is proposed by combining two equivalent pantograph mechanisms. Then, a novel type synthesis method for 1R1T RCM mechanisms is discussed in detail, and it shows that a 1R1T RCM mechanism can be constructed by assembling an RMTM and a 1R1T mechanism. By this method, several examples are constructed.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 3653
Author(s):  
Lilia Sidhom ◽  
Ines Chihi ◽  
Ernest Nlandu Kamavuako

This paper proposes an online direct closed-loop identification method based on a new dynamic sliding mode technique for robotic applications. The estimated parameters are obtained by minimizing the prediction error with respect to the vector of unknown parameters. The estimation step requires knowledge of the actual input and output of the system, as well as the successive estimate of the output derivatives. Therefore, a special robust differentiator based on higher-order sliding modes with a dynamic gain is defined. A proof of convergence is given for the robust differentiator. The dynamic parameters are estimated using the recursive least squares algorithm by the solution of a system model that is obtained from sampled positions along the closed-loop trajectory. An experimental validation is given for a 2 Degrees Of Freedom (2-DOF) robot manipulator, where direct and cross-validations are carried out. A comparative analysis is detailed to evaluate the algorithm’s effectiveness and reliability. Its performance is demonstrated by a better-quality torque prediction compared to other differentiators recently proposed in the literature. The experimental results highlight that the differentiator design strongly influences the online parametric identification and, thus, the prediction of system input variables.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Agboola-Dobson ◽  
Guowu Wei ◽  
Lei Ren

Recent advancements in powered lower limb prostheses have appeased several difficulties faced by lower limb amputees by using a series-elastic actuator (SEA) to provide powered sagittal plane flexion. Unfortunately, these devices are currently unable to provide both powered sagittal plane flexion and two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) at the ankle, removing the ankle’s capacity to invert/evert, thus severely limiting terrain adaption capabilities and user comfort. The developed 2-DOF ankle system in this paper allows both powered flexion in the sagittal plane and passive rotation in the frontal plane; an SEA emulates the biomechanics of the gastrocnemius and Achilles tendon for flexion while a novel universal-joint system provides the 2-DOF. Several studies were undertaken to thoroughly characterize the capabilities of the device. Under both level- and sloped-ground conditions, ankle torque and kinematic data were obtained by using force-plates and a motion capture system. The device was found to be fully capable of providing powered sagittal plane motion and torque very close to that of a biological ankle while simultaneously being able to adapt to sloped terrain by undergoing frontal plane motion, thus providing 2-DOF at the ankle. These findings demonstrate that the device presented in this paper poses radical improvements to powered prosthetic ankle-foot device (PAFD) design.


Author(s):  
Laxminarayana Saggere ◽  
Sridhar Kota

Abstract Compliant mechanisms are a class of mechanisms that achieve desired force and motion transmission tasks by undergoing elastic deformations as opposed to rigid-body displacements in the conventional rigid-link mechanisms. Most of the previously reported synthesis studies in compliant mechanisms related to either partially-compliant mechanisms or fully-compliant mechanisms with joint compliance. Methods developed for fully-compliant mechanisms with link compliance addressed the issue of topology generation for desired deflections at discrete points on the mechanism. This paper presents a new, first-principles based synthesis procedure for fully-compliant mechanisms with link compliance — that is, distributed-compliant mechanisms — for continuous shape change requirements in a particular segment of a mechanism. The general approach presented in this paper for the synthesis of distributed compliant mechanisms is shown to be well suited for application in the design of adaptive structures, an emerging class of high-performance structural systems. The current trend in the design of adaptive structures is to embed structures with force or strain inducing “smart” materials to serve as distributed actuators. Potential advantages of using the distributed compliance scheme over the distributed actuation scheme in the design of adaptive structures include a significant reduction in the number of required actuators and controls.


Author(s):  
Joost R. Leemans ◽  
Charles J. Kim ◽  
Werner W. P. J. van de Sande ◽  
Just L. Herder

Compliant shell mechanisms utilize spatially curved thin-walled structures to transfer or transmit force, motion or energy through elastic deformation. To design with spatial mechanisms designers need comprehensive characterization methods, while existing methods fall short of meaningful comparisons between rotational and translational degrees of freedom. This paper presents two approaches, both of which are based on the principle of virtual loads and potential energy, utilizing properties of screw theory, Plücker coordinates and an eigen-decomposition, leading to two unification lengths that can be used to compare and visualize all six degrees of freedom directions and magnitudes of compliant mechanisms in a non-arbitrary physically meaningful manner.


Author(s):  
Mounir Hammouche ◽  
Philippe Lutz ◽  
Micky Rakotondrabe

The problem of robust and optimal output feedback design for interval state-space systems is addressed in this paper. Indeed, an algorithm based on set inversion via interval analysis (SIVIA) combined with interval eigenvalues computation and eigenvalues clustering techniques is proposed to seek for a set of robust gains. This recursive SIVIA-based algorithm allows to approximate with subpaving the set solutions [K] that satisfy the inclusion of the eigenvalues of the closed-loop system in a desired region in the complex plane. Moreover, the LQ tracker design is employed to find from the set solutions [K] the optimal solution that minimizes the inputs/outputs energy and ensures the best behaviors of the closed-loop system. Finally, the effectiveness of the algorithm is illustrated by a real experimentation on a piezoelectric tube actuator.


Robotica ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 263-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald L. Huston ◽  
Timothy P. King

SUMMARYThe dynamics of “simple, redundant robots” are developed. A “redundant” robot is a robot whose degrees of freedom are greater than those needed to perform a given kinetmatic task. A “simple” robot is a robot with all joints being revolute joints with axes perpendicular or parallel to the arm segments. A general formulation, and a solution algorithm, for the “inverse kinematics problem” for such systems, is presented. The solution is obtained using orthogonal complement arrays which in turn are obtained from a “zero-eigenvalues” algorithm. The paper concludes with an assertion that this solution, called the “natural dynamics solution,” is optimal in that it requires the least energy to drive the robot.


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