TITLE:
Development of Flexible Spherical Actuator with 3D Coordinate Measuring Device
AUTHORS:
Yasuko Matsui, Tetsuya Akagi, Shujiro Dohta, Wataru Kobayashi, Hiroaki Tamaki
KEYWORDS:
Flexible Spherical Actuator, Flexible Pneumatic Cylinder, 3D Coordinate Measuring Device, Wire-Type Linear Potentiometer
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Flow Control, Measurement & Visualization,
Vol.6 No.2,
April
18,
2018
ABSTRACT: Rehabilitation devices help to recover the physical abilities of patients. This study aims to develop a portable rehabilitation device that is safe to use whenpatients are holding it by hands. In a previous study, to realize a home rehabilitation device, a flexible spherical actuator that can provide motion to patients was developed. In this study, to measure the relative position between both handling stages, a 3D coordinate measuring device using three wire-type linear potentiometers and an embedded controller was proposed and tested. In this paper, the spherical actuator with built-in 3D coordinate measuring device is described. The measuring method and experimental results obtained are also presented. The tracking position control of the actuator using the measuring device was carried out. As a result, the position of the handling stages can be successfully controlled using the feedback signal from the testedmeasuring device.