Development of a 3-DOF Mobile Positioning Mechanism with 6 Contact Points (Input Voltages by Dynamic Analysis under Conditions of Quasi-Constant Internal Forces)

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a design and input voltage waveforms for a 3-DOF precise inchworm mechanism with 6 contact points. In those ten years, we have developed an omnidirectional and holonomic inchworm mechanism to provide a flexible, compact, and precise microscopic processing. In previous mechanism, a pair of U-shaped electromagnets arranged to cross each other are connected by four piezoelectric actuators so that the mechanism can move in any direction. However, microscopic operations are still difficult because of vibrations caused by inclination of the U-shape electromagnets. In this paper, we have proposed newly developed mechanism composed of a pair of Y-shaped electromagnets and six piezoelectric actuators to prevent the inclination of the electromagnets. We have analyzed a 3-DOF simple vibration model to get the dynamical response of the mechanism. We have also solved quasi-constant conditions of internal forces between a pair of the Y-shaped-electromagnets. Finally, we develop the expression for input voltage waveforms which represents holonomic and omnidirectional motion. We have checked the validity of the theoretical input voltages by orthogonal and rotational experimental results.