Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-5wvtr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-23T23:43:48.992Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Step lengths and efficiencies of serial-operated and parallel-operated mechanical legs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2009

D McCloy
D McCloy
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science & Technology, University of Ulster at Jordanstown, Newtownabbey BT37 Northern Ireland (UK)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

When a free-ranging walking machine carries its own fuel and power source as well as a payload, it is important to maintain high mechanical efficiency. If the masses of the legs are negligible then, in a straight and level walk, the only power to be generated would be that needed to overcome ground and wind resistance and internal frictions. The paper shows this to be the case when one-input straight-line generating mechanisms are used. However, when two-input mechanisms are used the actuators can work against each other resulting in finite, sometimes large, power requirements. The paper determines the effects of limb lengths and ground clearance on step length and quantifies the power requirements of serial-operated and parallel-operated legs. It shows that parallel-operation offers greater efficiency.

Keywords

Mechanical legsSerial-operatedParallel-operatedEfficienciesStep lengths
Type
Article
Information
Robotica , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , January 1990 , pp. 23 - 29
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Todd, D.J., Walking Machines: an Introduction to Legged Robots (Kogan Page, London 1985).Google Scholar
2.McCloy, D. & Harris, D.M.J., Robotics; an Introduction (Open University Press, Milton Keynes, 1986).Google Scholar
3.Hirose, S., Umetani, Y., “Some consideration on a feasible walking vehicle as a terrain vehicle” 3rd Symposium on Theory and Practice of Robots and Manipulators. Udine, Italy (1978) pp. 124–143.Google Scholar
4.Waldron, K.J. & Kinzel, G.L., “The relationship between actuator geometry and mechanial efficiency in robots” 4th Symposium on Theory and Practice of Robots and Manipulators. Warsaw (1981) pp. 305–316.Google Scholar
5.Hain, K., Applied Kinematics (McGraw-Hill Book Co. New York 1967).Google Scholar
6.Hunt, K.H., ‘Geometry of robotic devices Inst. Engrs. Aust., Mech Engg Trans. 213–220 (1982).Google Scholar
7.McCloy, D., “Planar linkages for parallel-driven menipulators” Proc. 4th Conf. Irish Manufacturing Committee,Limerick (1986) pp. 79–95.Google Scholar