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Effects of Elastic Joints on Performances of a Close-Chained Rod Rolling Robot

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Abstract

In rolling experiments, the performances of spider-like robot are limited greatly by its motors’ driving ability; meanwhile, the ground reaction forces are so great that they damaged the rods. In this paper, we solve above problems both mechanically and by control. Firstly, we design the parameters of the central pattern generator (CPG) network based on the kinematics of the robot to enable a smooth rolling trajectory. And we also analyze the kinematic rolling and dynamic rolling briefly. Secondly, we add torsion springs to the passive joints of the spider-like robot aiming to make use of its energy storage capacity to compensate the insufficient torque. The simulation results show that the optimized CPG control parameters can reduce the fluctuation of the mass center and the ground reaction forces. The torsion spring can reduce the peak torque requirements of the actuated joints by 50%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, 100044, China

    Chenliang Zhao  (赵晨亮), Xiuli Zhang  (张秀丽), Senwei Huang  (黄森威) & Yan’an Yao  (姚燕安)

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  1. Chenliang Zhao  (赵晨亮)
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  2. Xiuli Zhang  (张秀丽)
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  3. Senwei Huang  (黄森威)
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  4. Yan’an Yao  (姚燕安)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiuli Zhang  (张秀丽).

Additional information

Foundation item: the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (No. M15JB00250)

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Zhao, C., Zhang, X., Huang, S. et al. Effects of Elastic Joints on Performances of a Close-Chained Rod Rolling Robot. J. Shanghai Jiaotong Univ. (Sci.) 27, 621–630 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12204-021-2289-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12204-021-2289-1

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