Development of a bionic multi-chamber hydraulic cylinder for improving energy efficiency

Abstract

Most hydraulic drive systems for robots are configured with one single pump and multiple cylinders, which suffers from low energy efficiency in the case of driving the variable loads. To solve the problem, this paper presents a multi-chamber hydraulic cylinder based on the bionic muscle drive mechanism. Firstly, the mechanical structure is designed, the mathematical models are derived, the mechanism of high energy efficiency is analyzed. Then, the simulation of load matching control is carried out, which shows the high energy efficiency improvement and the good position tracking. Finally, the multi-chamber hydraulic cylinder prototype is developed for experimental study, and output forces, output displacement, energy consumption, and friction characteristics are researched. The theoretical analysis and experimental research show that the bionic multi-chamber hydraulic cylinder can realize the power matching between the single power source and the variable loads in the hydraulic system, which provide a novel idea for the energy efficient hydraulic equipment.