Passive Gravity Balancing with a Self-Regulating Mechanism for Variable Payload

FRANCHETTI, Diego, BOSCHETTI, Giovanni and LENZO, Basilio (2021). Passive Gravity Balancing with a Self-Regulating Mechanism for Variable Payload. Machines, 9 (8).

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Official URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/9/8/145
Open Access URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/9/8/145/pdf (Published version)
Link to published version:: https://doi.org/10.3390/machines9080145

Abstract

Gravity balancing techniques allow for the reduction of energy consumptions in robotic systems. With the appropriate arrangements, often including springs, the overall potential energy of a manipulator can be made configuration-independent, achieving an indifferent equilibrium for any position. On the other hand, such arrangements lose their effectiveness when some of the system parameters change, including the mass. This paper proposes a method to accommodate different payloads for a mechanism with a single degree-of-freedom (DOF). By means of an auxiliary mechanism including a slider, pulleys and a counterweight, the attachment point of a spring is automatically regulated so as to maintain the system in indifferent equilibrium regardless of the position, even when the overall mass of the system varies. Practical implications for the design of the mechanism are also discussed. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: ** From MDPI via Jisc Publications Router ** Licence for this article: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ **Journal IDs: eissn 2075-1702 **History: published 29-07-2021; accepted 27-07-2021
Uncontrolled Keywords: gravity balancing, zero free-length spring, adjustable payload, indifferent equilibrium
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.3390/machines9080145
SWORD Depositor: Colin Knott
Depositing User: Colin Knott
Date Deposited: 02 Aug 2021 11:37
Last Modified: 02 Aug 2021 11:45
URI: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28896

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