Compact cable transmission with cable differential

Machine element or mechanism – Mechanical movements – Reciprocating or oscillating to or from alternating rotary

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414 7, 901 21, F16H 2702

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active

049035363

ABSTRACT:
A pretensioned cable transmits power along a first support member (link) from a rotary actuator to a rotating output joint, typically an output pulley fixed to a second link arm but rotatable in a coupling between the first and second links. A reducer, typically two sets of coupled idler pulleys of different diameter, is mounted at a point removed from the actuator, and preferably as close as possible to the output joint. An axially split spool mounted on the actuator output wraps the outgoing and returning cable sections on different halves of the spool in opposite directions to provide pretensioning of the cable in the entire cable circuit at one point. To form a differential, a pretensioned cable carried on paired pulleys having smooth outer surfaces parallel to the axis of rotation couples the pulleys. The pulleys have axes of rotation that can intersect and their cable carrying surfaces are closely spaced, preferably by less than half the width of the cable. The outer surfaces can be stepped to accommodate two or more cables for bi-directional operation, or to create a conventional differential with a spider. The links and pulleys of the transmission are long and narrow. This high aspect ratio provides a compact configuration that is conducive to whole arm manipulations where any exterior surface of the links can engage an object. A low inertia, low friction brushless D.C. motor operating under the control of a pulse width modulated controller responsive to the current drawn by the motor, in combination with the cable transmission of this invention, provide excellent force control.

REFERENCES:
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patent: 4806066 (1989-02-01), Rhodes et al.
"Kinematic and Force Analysis of Articulated Hands", J. Kenneth Salisbury, Jr. Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. 94305, Report #STAN-C5-82-921, Jul. 1982.
Advertisement, Roto-Lok.RTM. Rotary Drive, Trax Instrument Corporation.
Swift, H. W., "Power Transmission by Belts: An Investigation of Fundamentals," The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, vol. 1, 1928.
Reynolds, O., "On the Efficiency of Belts or Straps as Communicators of Work," The Engineering, vol. 38, 1874, p. 396.
Salisbury, J. K., Jr., "Design and Control of an Articulated Hand," International Symposium on Design and Synthesis, Tokyo, Japan, Jul. 1984.
Bejczy, A. K. and Salisbury, J.K., Jr., "Kinesthetic Coupling Between Operator and Remote Manipulator," Advances in Computer Technology, ASME, vol. 1, Aug. 1980.
Vertut, J. and Coiffet, P., Teleoperations and Robotics: Evolution and Development, "Robot Technology," vol. 3A, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1986, pp. 191-194.
Jacobsen, S. C., Iversen, E. K., Knutti, D. F., Johnson, R. T., and Biggers, K. B., "Design of the Utah/MIT Dexterous Hand," Proc. 1986 IEEE Int'l. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, San Francisco, Calif., Apr. 1986.
Townsend, W. T. and Salisbury, J. K., Jr., "The Effect of Coulomb Friction and Stiction on Force Control," Proc. 1987 IEEE Int'l Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Raleigh, N.C., Apr. 1987.

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