Hierarchical actuator systems

D. Huston; B. Esser; G. Spencer; D. Burns; E. Kahn

doi:10.1117/12.607220

5 May 2005 Hierarchical actuator systems

D. Huston, B. Esser, G. Spencer, D. Burns, E. Kahn

Proceedings Volume 5762, Smart Structures and Materials 2005: Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.607220
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2005, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Mechanical actuators are integral components of many engineered systems. Many of the presently available actuator systems lack the desired stroke, power, controllability and reliability. The hierarchical actuator is a natural extension of the trend toward improving the performance of actuators through increments in geometric complexity and control. The hierarchical concept is to build integrated actuators out of a combination of smaller actuators. The smaller actuators are arranged geometrically and controlled so as to extend the performance of the total actuator into ranges that are not possible with actuators that are based on a few active elements and levels of control. Precision, speed increase, force output, load sharing, efficiency under smooth load/displacement control, smooth motion, stroke amplification/reduction and redundancy are all possible. Mechanics and mechanisms of hierarchical actuators are examined, along with a few experiments to demonstrate the operating principles.

Citation Download Citation

D. Huston, B. Esser, G. Spencer, D. Burns, and E. Kahn "Hierarchical actuator systems", Proc. SPIE 5762, Smart Structures and Materials 2005: Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies, (5 May 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.607220

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available