Flexure design for precision positioning using low-stiffness actuators

Design and Development of a Compact Flexure-Based $XY$ Precision Positioning System With Centimeter Range

This paper presents the design and development of a novel flexure parallel-kinematic precision positioning stage with a centimeter range and compact dimension. The stage mechanism is devised using leaf flexures to achieve a decoupled and modular structure. Structural parameters are carefully designed to guarantee the range, stiffness, resonant frequency and payload capabilities in consideration...

Design Optimization of Flexure Hinges Profile Using FEM and Experimental Verification in Piezoelectric Actuators

In this paper, flexure hinges as the main part of the actuators frame are studied considering different profiles of flexure hinges and effective design parameters to introduce the best profile of the hinge based on the application that is needed. For this purpose five different profiles (right circular, elliptical, corner-filleted, hyperbolic and parabolic) of flexure hinges have been considere...

Note: an asymmetric flexure mechanism for comb-drive actuators.

This Note presents a new asymmetric flexure design, the double parallelogram-tilted-beam double parallelogram (DP-TDP) flexure, that enables two times higher stroke in electrostatic comb-drive actuators, compared to the traditional symmetrically paired double parallelogram (DP-DP) flexure, while maintaining the same device footprint. Because of its unique kinematic configuration, the DP-TDP fle...

Mechanical Influences on the Design of Actuators with Variable Stiffness

In the 1990s compliant joint actuation was introduced to robotics with the Series Elastic Actuator [1] and the Mechanical Impedance Adjuster [2]. Such concepts provide safer human-robot interaction, can store energy and decrease force control effort [1]. In the following decades, energy efficient actuation with such concepts had high impact in mobile applications such as bipedal robots, since t...

Energy Efficient Variable Stiffness Actuators: Conceptual Design and Implementation