论文标题
步态增强可穿戴的混合执行器设计
Hybrid Actuator Design for a Gait Augmentation Wearable
论文作者
论文摘要
我们描述了一种流体执行器设计,该设计使用柔软的执行器代替液压缸的密封室,以低操作压力($ \ \ leq $ 50 kPa)提供较大的力($ \ geq $ 100 n),以提供较低的limb可穿戴。外壳在流体加压下限制了软执行器的变形。这使我们能够使用乳胶派对气球作为初步设计调查的快速廉价替代方案。我们发现,软材料变形所施加的力是由刚性壳迅速捕获的,从而消除了明确描述软材料变形的力学及其与刚性结构的相互作用的必要性。可以使用带有效率参数的经典力,压力和面积公式来表征执行器的性能。此外,我们使用放置在单个壳体腔内的定制软执行器提出了一种混合执行器的工程设计,并带有开放端的压缩力。我们的结果表明,所提出的设计可以在短程距离内产生很高的力。在50 kPa的低输入压力下,施加的块力仅接近3 \%的3 \%比经典方程的预测。该执行器适合新的步态增强设计,以纠正膝盖对准,这通常对于由纯软材料制成的执行器来说是具有挑战性的。
We describe a fluidic actuator design that replaces the sealed chamber of a hydraulic cylinder using a soft actuator to provide compliant linear compression with a large force ($\geq$100 N) at a low operation pressure ($\leq$50 kPa) for a lower-limb wearable. The external shells constrain the deformation of the soft actuator under fluidic pressurization. This enables us to use latex party balloons as a quick and cheap alternative for initial design investigation. We found that the forces exerted by the soft material deformation are well-captured by the rigid shells, removing the necessity of explicitly describing the mechanics of the soft material deformation and its interaction with the rigid structure. One can use the classical Force, Pressure and Area formula factored with an efficiency parameter to characterize the actuator performance. Furthermore, we proposed an engineering design of the hybrid actuator using a customized soft actuator placed inside a single shell cavity with an open end for the compression force. Our results show that the proposed design can generate a very high force within a short stroke distance. At a low input pressure of 50 kPa, the exerted block force is approaching only about 3\% less than the classical equation predicted. The actuator is fitted to a new gait augmentation design for correcting knee alignment, which is usually challenging for actuators made from the purely soft material.