Design and Analysis of New Large-Range XY Compliant Parallel Micromanipulators

Author(s):  
Jingjun Yu ◽  
Zhenguo Li ◽  
Dengfeng Lu ◽  
Guanghua Zong ◽  
Guangbo Hao

The need for a compliant parallel micromanipulator (CPM) providing large motion range and high precision is increasing. Existing CPMs vary in constraint configurations and therefore it is necessary to verify/compare their characteristics. This paper compares three kinds of typical over-constrained CPMs, and derives their theoretical compliance matrix models pointing out constraint characteristics of the three kinematic configurations. Then the three CPMs are analyzed with FEA (finite element analysis), and results illustrate that the theoretical compliance matrix models are close to their FEA models. Moreover, cross-axis coupling along two motion axes (X&Y), parasitic motion and compliance fluctuation of motion stages are described in details. Through analyzing the FEA results, we present an improved CPM with a mirror-symmetry structure and redundant-constraint characteristic which can effectively constrain in-plane yaw and cross-axis coupling. It is shown that the improved CPM presented in this paper has a series of merits: large motion range up to 10mm×10mm in the dimension of 311mm×311mm×24mm, small compliance fluctuation (only 37.32% of that of the initial model), a smaller cross-axis coupling (only 24.39% of that of the initial model generated by a single-axis 5mm driving), a smaller in-plane parasitic yaw (only 53.57% of that of the initial model generated by double-axis 5mm driving).

Author(s):  
Shorya Awtar ◽  
John Ustick ◽  
Shiladitya Sen

We present the constraint-based design of a novel parallel kinematic flexure mechanism that provides highly decoupled motions along the three translational directions (X, Y, and Z) and high stiffness along the three rotational directions (θx, θy, and θz). The geometric decoupling ensures large motion range along each translational direction and enables integration with large-stroke ground-mounted linear actuators or generators, depending on the application. The proposed design, which is based on a systematic arrangement of multiple rigid stages and parallelogram flexure modules, is analyzed via non-linear finite element analysis. A proof-of-concept prototype of the flexure mechanism is fabricated to validate its large range and decoupled motion capability. The analyses as well as the hardware demonstrate an XYZ motion range of 10 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm. Over this motion range, the non-linear FEA predicts a cross-axis error of less than 3%, parasitic rotations less than 2 mrad, less than 4% lost motion, actuator isolation less than 1.5%, and no perceptible motion direction stiffness variation. Ongoing work includes non-linear closed-form analysis and experimental measurement of these error motion and stiffness characteristics.


Author(s):  
Shusheng Bi ◽  
Tao Qiao ◽  
Hongzhe Zhao ◽  
Yanbin Yao

Annulus-shaped compliant pivot, formed by well-proportioned compliant modules between the outer ring and inner ring, can be employed in precision mechanical systems due to good performances. Especially for the multi-series leaves in one module, the annulus-shaped compliant pivot can fulfill a large displacement range without any axial drift in theory. In the design of the annulus-shaped compliant pivot, the load–displacement behavior and the stress analysis with analytical forms are important consideration. However, in the literature, there is few detailed work. In this article, a general annulus-shaped compliant pivot model formed by series–parallel leaves is first analytically established for the load–displacement behavior and the stress prediction. These calculations are based on accurate approximation of a beam flexure. Firstly, a loaded moment is decomposed into universal loads by combining the geometric compatibility condition. The stiffness accurate approximation is then analytically obtained, which provides a simple design strategy. Furthermore, the stresses in every leaf are obtained so that the annulus-shaped compliant pivot with large motion range can be actualized by stress checking. Lastly, the analytical model has been verified by commercial finite element analysis software ANSYS.


Author(s):  
Guangbo Hao

XY compliant parallel manipulators (aka XY parallel flexure motion stages) have been used as diverse applications such as atomic force microscope scanners due to their proved advantages such as eliminated backlash, reduced friction, reduced number of parts and monolithic configuration. This paper presents an innovative stiffness centre based approach to design a decoupled 2-legged XY compliant parallel manipulator in order to better minimise the inherent parasitic rotation and have a more compact configuration. This innovative design approach makes all of the stiffness centres, associated with the passive prismatic (P) modules, overlap at a point that all of the applied input forces can go through. A monolithic compact and decoupled XY compliant parallel manipulator with minimised parasitic rotation is then proposed using the proposed design approach based on a 2-PP kinematically decoupled translational parallel manipulator. Its load–displacement and motion range equations are derived, and geometrical parameters are determined for a specified motion range. Finite element analysis comparisons are also implemented to verify the analytical models with analysis of the performance characteristics including primary stiffness, cross-axis coupling, parasitic rotation, input and output motion difference and actuator nonisolation effect. Compared with the existing XY compliant parallel manipulators obtained using 4-legged mirror-symmetric constraint arrangement, the proposed XY compliant parallel manipulators based on stiffness centre approach mainly benefits from fewer legs resulting in reduced size, simpler modelling as well as smaller lost motion. Compared with existing 2-legged designs with the conventional arrangement, the present design has smaller parasitic rotation, which has been proved from the finite element analysis results.


Author(s):  
Pengbo Liu ◽  
Songsong Lu ◽  
Peng Yan ◽  
Zhen Zhang

In the present paper, we take the input and output decoupling into account and propose a 2-DOF parallel nanopositioner, which is composed of lever amplification mechanisms, compound parallelogram mechanisms and novel crosshair flexures. In order to demonstrate the decoupling performance improvement of the crosshair flexures, the stiffness model of the crosshair flexures and the kinetostatics model of the nanopositioner are established based on Castigliano’s theorem and the compliance matrix method. Accordingly, the input and output decoupling compliance matrix models are derived to demonstrate the excellent decoupling property of the crosshair flexures based nanopositioner, which is further verified by finite-element analysis and experimental results. The open-loop experiments on the prototype stage demonstrate the maximum stroke of the nanopositioner is up to 65μm and the cross axis coupling errors are less than 1.6%.


Author(s):  
Guangbo Hao ◽  
Qiaoling Meng ◽  
Yangmin Li

This paper presents a large-range decoupled XY compliant parallel manipulator (CPM) with good dynamics (no under-constrained/non-controllable mass). The present XY CPM is composed of novel parallelogram flexure modules (NPFMs) that are parallel four-bar mechanisms as prismatic (P) joints with four identical monolithic cross-spring flexural pivots, flexure revolute (R) joints. The parasitic translation of the NPFM is compensated via the rotational centre shift of the flexure R joint thereof based on the prior art. The optimization function and optimised geometrical parameters are investigated for the NPFM at first to achieve the largest translation. The design of a large-range XY CPM is then implemented according to the fully symmetrical 4-PP parallel kinematic mechanism (PKM) and through using the optimised NPFMs. Finally, the simplified analytical stiffness modelling and finite element analysis (FEA) are undertaken for the static and/or dynamic characteristics analysis of the 4-PP XY CPM. It is shown from FEA in the example case that the present 4-PP XY CPM has good performance characteristics such as large-range motion space (10 mm × 10 mm with the total dimension of 465 mm× 465 mm), no non-controllable mass, monolithic configuration, maximal kinematostatic decoupling (cross-axis coupling effect less than 1.2%), maximal actuator isolation (input coupling effect less than 0.13%) and well-constrained parasitic rotation (less than 0.4 urad). In addition, the stiffness-enhanced NPFM using over-constraint is proposed to produce a first/second modal frequency of about 100 Hz for the resulting XY CPM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 168781402110344
Author(s):  
Jinhai Gao ◽  
Xiaoqiang Han ◽  
Lina Hao ◽  
Ligang Chen

Compared with the traditional rigid mechanism, the flexible mechanism has more advantages, which play an important role in critical situations such as microsurgery, IC (integrated circuit) fabrication/detection, and some precision operating environment. Especially, there is an increasing need for 3-DOF (degrees-of-freedom) compliant translational micro-platform (CTMP) providing good performance characteristics with large motion range, low cross coupling, and high spatial density. Decoupled topology design of the CTMP can easily realize these merits without increasing the difficulty of controlling. This paper proposes a new three DOF compliant hybrid micromanipulator which have large range of motion up to 100 μm × 100 μm × 100 μm in the direction in the dimension of 90 mm × 90 mm × 50 mm, smaller cross-axis coupling (the max coupling only 2.5%) than the initial XY compliant platform in XY axial.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingjun Yu ◽  
Yan Xie ◽  
Zhenguo Li ◽  
Guangbo Hao

There is an increasing need for XY compliant parallel micromanipulators (CPMs) providing good performance characteristics such as large motion range, well-constrained cross-axis coupling, and parasitic rotation. Decoupled topology design of the CPMs can easily realize these merits without increasing the difficulty of controlling. This paper proposes an improved 4-PP model on the basis of a classical 4-PP model and both of them are selected for manufacturing and testing to verify the effectiveness of the improvement. It has shown from experimental results that there is a large improvement on the performances of improved 4-PP compliant parallel manipulator (CPM): large range of motion up to 5 mm × 5 mm in the unidirection in the dimension of 311 mm × 311 mm × 24 mm, smaller compliance fluctuation (only 36.63% of that of the initial 4-PP model), smaller cross-axis coupling (only 28.10% of that of the initial 4-PP model generated by a single-axis 5 mm actuation), smaller in-plane parasitic yaw (only 57.14% of that of the initial 4-PP model generated by double-axis 5 mm actuation).


2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyang Li ◽  
Guangbo Hao ◽  
Richard C. Kavanagh

This paper introduces a position-space-based reconfiguration (PSR) approach to the reconfiguration of compliant mechanisms. The PSR approach can be employed to reconstruct a compliant mechanism into many new compliant mechanisms, without affecting the mobility of the compliant mechanism. Such a compliant mechanism can be decomposed into rigid stages and compliant modules. Each of the compliant modules can be placed at any one permitted position within its position space, which does not change the constraint imposed by the compliant module on the compliant mechanism. Therefore, a compliant mechanism can be reconfigured through selecting different permitted positions of the associated compliant modules from their position spaces. The proposed PSR approach can be used to change the geometrical shape of a compliant mechanism for easy fabrication, or to improve its motion characteristics such as cross-axis coupling, lost motion, and motion range. While this paper focuses on reducing the parasitic motions of a compliant mechanism using this PSR approach, the associated procedure is summarized and demonstrated using a decoupled XYZ compliant parallel mechanism as an example. The parasitic motion of the XYZ compliant parallel mechanism is modeled analytically, with three variables which represent any permitted positions of the associated compliant modules in their position spaces. The optimal positions of the compliant modules in the XYZ compliant parallel mechanism are finally obtained based on the analytical results, where the parasitic motion is reduced by approximately 50%. The reduction of the parasitic motion is verified by finite-element analysis (FEA) results, which differ from the analytically obtained values by less than 7%.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 5334-5346
Author(s):  
M. N. Nguyen ◽  
L. Q. Nguyen ◽  
H. M. Chu ◽  
H. N. Vu

In this paper, we report on a SOI-based comb capacitive-type accelerometer that senses acceleration in two lateral directions. The structure of the accelerometer was designed using a proof mass connected by four folded-beam springs, which are compliant to inertial displacement causing by attached acceleration in the two lateral directions. At the same time, the folded-beam springs enabled to suppress cross-talk causing by mechanical coupling from parasitic vibration modes. The differential capacitor sense structure was employed to eliminate common mode effects. The design of gap between comb fingers was also analyzed to find an optimally sensing comb electrode structure. The design of the accelerometer was carried out using the finite element analysis. The fabrication of the device was based on SOI-micromachining. The characteristics of the accelerometer have been investigated by a fully differential capacitive bridge interface using a sub-fF switched-capacitor integrator circuit. The sensitivities of the accelerometer in the two lateral directions were determined to be 6 and 5.5 fF/g, respectively. The cross-axis sensitivities of the accelerometer were less than 5%, which shows that the accelerometer can be used for measuring precisely acceleration in the two lateral directions. The accelerometer operates linearly in the range of investigated acceleration from 0 to 4g. The proposed accelerometer is expected for low-g applications.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shorya Awtar ◽  
John Ustick ◽  
Shiladitya Sen

A novel parallel-kinematic flexure mechanism that provides highly decoupled motions along the three translational directions (X, Y, and Z) and high stiffness along the three rotational directions (θx, θy, and θz) is presented. Geometric decoupling ensures large motion range along each translational direction and enables integration with large-stroke ground-mounted linear actuators or generators, depending on the application. The proposed design, which is based on a systematic arrangement of multiple rigid stages and parallelogram flexure modules, is analyzed via nonlinear finite elements analysis (FEA). A proof-of-concept prototype is fabricated to validate the predicted large range and decoupled motion capabilities. The analysis and the hardware prototype demonstrate an XYZ motion range of 10 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm. Over this motion range, the nonlinear FEA predicts cross-axis errors of less than 7.8%, parasitic rotations less than 10.8 mrad, less than 14.4% lost motion, actuator isolation better than 1.5%, and no perceptible motion direction stiffness variation.


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