Several typical flexible pneumatic actuators (FPA) and different mechanical models describing their behaviors have been proposed, however, it is difficult to balance compliance and load capacity in conventional desi...Several typical flexible pneumatic actuators (FPA) and different mechanical models describing their behaviors have been proposed, however, it is difficult to balance compliance and load capacity in conventional designs, and these models still have limitations in predicting behavior of FPAs. A new flexible pneumatic bending joint (FPBJ) with special anisotropic rigidity structure is proposed. The FPBJ is developed as an improvement with regard to existing types of FPA, and its principal characteristic is derived from the special anisotropic rigidity structure. With this structure, the load capacity in the direction perpendicular to bending plane is strengthened. The structure of the new FPBJ is explained and a mathematical model is derived based on Euler-Bernoulli beam model and Hook’s law. To obtain optimum design and usage, some key structure parameters and input-output characteristics are simulated. The simulation results reveal that the relationship between the structure parameters and FPBJ’s bending angle is nonlinear. At last, according to the simulation results, the FPBJ is manufactured with optional parameters and tested. The experimental results show that the joint’s statics characteristics are reflected by the mathematical model accurately when the FPBJ is deflated. The maximum relative error between simulation and experimental results is less than 6%. However, the model still has limitations. When the joint is inflated, the maximum relative error reaches 20%. This paper proposes a new flexible pneumatic bending joint which has sufficient load capacity and compliance, and the mathematical model provides theoretical guidance for the FPBJ’s structure design.展开更多
A parallel manipulator joint driven by three pneumatic muscles and its posture control strategy are presented. Based on geometric constraints and dynamics, a system model is developed through which some influences on ...A parallel manipulator joint driven by three pneumatic muscles and its posture control strategy are presented. Based on geometric constraints and dynamics, a system model is developed through which some influences on dynamic response and open-loop gain are analyzed including the supply pressure, the initial pressure and the volume of pneumatic muscle. A sliding-mode controller with a nonlinear switching function is applied to control posture, which adopts the combination of a main method that separates control of each muscle and an auxiliary method that postures error evaluation of multiple muscles, especially adopting the segmented and intelligent adjustments of sliding-mode parameters to fit different expected postures and initial states. Experimental results show that this control strategy not only amounts to the steady-state error of 0. 1° without overshoot, but also achieves good trajectory tracking.展开更多
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.51075363)Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Outstanding Youth Team Foundation of China (Grant No.R1090674)+1 种基金Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.LY12E05022)Open Fund of Key Laboratory of E&M (Zhejiang University of Technology),Ministry of Education & Zhejiang Province of China (Grant No.2009EP026)
文摘Several typical flexible pneumatic actuators (FPA) and different mechanical models describing their behaviors have been proposed, however, it is difficult to balance compliance and load capacity in conventional designs, and these models still have limitations in predicting behavior of FPAs. A new flexible pneumatic bending joint (FPBJ) with special anisotropic rigidity structure is proposed. The FPBJ is developed as an improvement with regard to existing types of FPA, and its principal characteristic is derived from the special anisotropic rigidity structure. With this structure, the load capacity in the direction perpendicular to bending plane is strengthened. The structure of the new FPBJ is explained and a mathematical model is derived based on Euler-Bernoulli beam model and Hook’s law. To obtain optimum design and usage, some key structure parameters and input-output characteristics are simulated. The simulation results reveal that the relationship between the structure parameters and FPBJ’s bending angle is nonlinear. At last, according to the simulation results, the FPBJ is manufactured with optional parameters and tested. The experimental results show that the joint’s statics characteristics are reflected by the mathematical model accurately when the FPBJ is deflated. The maximum relative error between simulation and experimental results is less than 6%. However, the model still has limitations. When the joint is inflated, the maximum relative error reaches 20%. This paper proposes a new flexible pneumatic bending joint which has sufficient load capacity and compliance, and the mathematical model provides theoretical guidance for the FPBJ’s structure design.
基金This project is supported by International Cooperation with Festo.
文摘A parallel manipulator joint driven by three pneumatic muscles and its posture control strategy are presented. Based on geometric constraints and dynamics, a system model is developed through which some influences on dynamic response and open-loop gain are analyzed including the supply pressure, the initial pressure and the volume of pneumatic muscle. A sliding-mode controller with a nonlinear switching function is applied to control posture, which adopts the combination of a main method that separates control of each muscle and an auxiliary method that postures error evaluation of multiple muscles, especially adopting the segmented and intelligent adjustments of sliding-mode parameters to fit different expected postures and initial states. Experimental results show that this control strategy not only amounts to the steady-state error of 0. 1° without overshoot, but also achieves good trajectory tracking.