• Journal of Drive and Control
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.17-22
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• 2017

In this study, the back-drivability of the single-rod and double-rod type EHAs (Electro-Hydrostatic Actuators) was compared by computer simulation and experiments. The back-drivability of EHAs exhibit non-linear behavior like their force tracking performance. In case of the double-rod type EHA, the back-drivability was mostly influenced by the bulk modulus of oil that changes with the working pressure due to entrapped air. The back-drivability of the single-rod type EHA was directly affected by the operation states of its pilot-operated check valves, while the asymmetrical piston geometry and the non-linear bulk modulus of oil also made the dynamic response in building up the cylinder pressure dependent on the operating conditions.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.348-356
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• 2019

The backdrivable servovalve is a desirable component for force and interaction control of hydraulic actuation systems because it provides direct force generation mechanical impedance reduction by its own inherent backdrivability. However, high parametric uncertainty and friction effects inside the hydraulic actuation system significantly degrade its advantage. To solve this problem, this letter presents a disturbance-adaptive robust internal-loop compensator (DA-RIC) to generate ideal interactive control performance from the backdrivable-servovalve-based system. The proposed control combines a robust internal-loop compensator structure (RIC) with an explicit disturbance estimator designed for asymptotic disturbance tracking, such that the controlled system provide stable and ideal dynamic behavior for impedance control, while completely compensating the disturbance effects. With the aid of a backdrivable servovalve, we show that the proposed control structure can be implemented based on a simplified nominal model, and the controller enables implementation without accurate knowledge of the target system parameters and disturbances. The performance and properties of the proposed controller are verified by simulation and experiments.

• Journal of Drive and Control
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.55-60
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• 2018

Force-controlled electro-hydrostatic actuators have to exhibit high backdrivability, to quickly compensate for force control errors caused by externally disturbed rod movement. To obtain high backdrivability, the servomotor for driving the hydraulic pump, should rotate exactly to such a revolution to compensate for force control errors, compressing or decompressing cylinder chambers. In this study, we proposed a modified velocity control structure, including a robust internal-loop compensator (RIC)-based velocity controller, for the servomotor to improve backdrivability of a force-controlled EHA. Performance improvement was confirmed experimentally, wherein sinusoidal velocity disturbance was applied to the force-controlled EHA, with constant reference input. Its dynamic force control errors reduced effectively, with the proposed control scheme, compared to test results with a conventional motordriver, for motor velocity control.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.173-181
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• 2016

This paper reports on the development of a roller-cam clutch mechanism. This mechanism can transfer bidirectional torque with high backdrivability, as well as increase actuation energy efficiency, in electrical exoskeleton robots. The developed mechanism was installed at the robot knee joint and unclutched during the swing phase which uses less metabolic energy, thereby functioning as a passive joint. The roller-cam clutch aimed to increase actuation energy efficiency while also producing high backdrivability by generating zero impedance for users during the swing phase. To develop the mechanism, mathematical modeling of the roller-cam clutch was conducted, with the design having more than three safety factors following optimization. Titanium (Ti-6AL-4V) material was used. Finally, modeling verification was done using ANSYS software.