Series elastic actuator
Mechatronic actuator that damps impact and reaction forces by controlling an elastic element in series with the motor and gearbox, with the spring rate adjustable in real time.
Division: GANI EngineeringWhat the machine does, and how it is run.
A rigid actuator transmits every impact straight back into its own gearbox and into whatever it is touching. That is acceptable in a machine that only meets steel and unacceptable in one that has to meet a person, an unknown surface or a variable load.
A series elastic actuator puts a controlled elastic element between the motor and gearbox and the output. Impact and reaction forces are damped by that element rather than by the drivetrain, and here the effective stiffness can be adjusted in real time rather than being fixed by the spring that was fitted.
The behaviour was simulated on a three-axis parallel mechanism, which is the case where series elasticity is hardest — three actuators sharing one platform interact, and a variable stiffness that helps one axis can destabilise the others.
What it is made of.
- 01Motor, gearbox and elastic element in series
- 02Variable stiffness approach
- 03Impact and reaction force damping
- 04Simulation on a three-axis parallel mechanism