Continuously-Variable Series-Elastic Actuator
Name
Herr_Continuously-variable.pdf
Size
788.8 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
314e0d37616450c1d113dd17ca416f58
Author(s)
Mooney, Luke M.
Herr, Hugh M
Date Issued
June 2013
Journal
Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, ICORR 2013
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Citation
Mooney, Luke and Hugh Herr. "Continuously-Variable Series-Elastic Actuator." 13th IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, ICORR 2013, June 24-26, 2013, University of Washington, Seattle.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Actuator efficiency is an important factor in the design of powered leg prostheses, orthoses, exoskeletons, and legged robots. A continuously-variable series-elastic actuator (CV-SEA) is presented as an efficient actuator for legged locomotion. The CV-SEA implements a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) between a motor and series elastic element. The CVT reduces the torque seen at the motor and allows the motor to operate in speed regimes of higher efficiency, while the series-elastic element efficiently stores and releases mechanical energy, reducing motor work requirements for actuator applications where an elastic response is sought. An energy efficient control strategy for the CV-SEA was developed using a Monte-Carlo minimization method that randomly generates transmission profiles and converges on those that minimize the electrical energy consumption of the motor. The CV-SEA is compared to a standard SEA and an infinitely variable series elastic actuator (IV-SEA). Simulations suggest that a CV-SEA will require less energy that an SEA or IV-SEA when used in a knee prosthesis during level-ground walking.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratory
Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
Persistent DSpace Link
