Abstract
Deterioration of social infrastructure equipment has become a major problem in countries around the world. In the present study, a novel vibration actuator system capable of movement on an iron structure having complicated surfaces, such as steps, is proposed. A vibration actuator capable of reciprocating movement with a small-scale size was prototyped and tested. In consideration of mobility, the size of the vibration actuator is designed to be smaller than 50 mm and the total mass is lighter than 20 g. The experimental result demonstrates that the maximum efficiency of the vibration actuator was 28.1%, and the maximum pulling power was 1.8 N. Furthermore, a vibration actuator system in which two vibration actuators and a wheel having a magnetic force connected by a flexible silicone rubber material was prototyped. This actuator system can move over a step of 48 mm in the horizontal plane and 25 mm in the vertical plane without control. Finally, a machine test was conducted on the frame surface moving, which is difficult even for robots. This actuator system can move at an average speed of 12.1 mm/s within the frame.
Highlights
Deterioration of social infrastructure equipment has become a major problem in countries around the world
By extending the operating principle proposed by the authors, a new type of the vibration actuator system that can be directly driven without using an electromagnetic motor or device has been proposed
A new type of an actuator system has been developed for the movement of steps that does not depend on the angle of the moving surface
Summary
Deterioration of social infrastructure equipment has become a major problem in countries around the world. For the purpose of movement to iron structures, the authors invented a lightweight actuator with excellent operability and a very simple structure [15,16] When this actuator is built into a robot, direct drive is possible without reduction gear mechanisms because this actuator has a high propulsion force. The author proposed a new actuator system that combines magnetic wheels and vibration components [18,19] These wheel-type actuators can move on small steps on a horizontal surface, but cannot move on steps on a vertical surface. A novel vibration actuator system capable of movement on a complex iron structure with large steps in the horizontal and vertical planes was proposed. It was shown that this actuator system could be applied to inspection of iron bridges and tanks by installing sensors such as cameras
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