• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1060-1067
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• 2010

In this paper, we present a new type of spherical robot having two arms. This robot, called KisBot, mechanically consists of three parts, a wheel-shaped body and two rotating semi-spheres. In side of each semi-sphere, there exists an arm which is designed based on slider-crank mechanism for space efficiency. KisBot has hybrid types of driving mode: rolling and wheeling. In the rolling mode, the robot folds its arms through inside of itself and uses them as pendulum, then the robot works like a pendulum-driven robot. In the wheeling mode, two arms are extended from inside of the robot and are contacted to the ground, then the robot works like a one-wheel car. The Robot arms can be used as a brake during rolling mode and add friction to the robot for climbing a slope during wheeling mode. We developed a remote controlled type robot for experiment. It contains two DC motors which are located in the center of each semi-sphere for main propulsion, two RC motors for each arm operation, speed controllers for each semi-sphere, batteries for main power source, and other mechanical components. Experiments for the rolling and wheeling mode verify the hybrid driving ability and efficiency of the our proposed spherical robot.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.33-40
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• 2012

Objectives: Existing cardiovascular simulators are used to evaluate artificial organs such as artificial hearts, prosthetic valves, and artificial blood vessels, and pulses are typically triggered using artificial hearts. However, the forms of pulse waves vary according to the location of arteries, and for precise assessment of artificial blood vessels, the development of simulators that generate diverse pressure pulse waves is necessary. This study developed a novel cardiovascular simulator that generates different forms of pulse waves. Methods: This simulator consists of a stepping motor, a slider-crank mechanism that transforms the rotation movement of a motor into the straight-line motion of a piston, a piston that generates pulsatile flows, a water tank that supplies fluids, an elastic tube made of silicon, and a device that adjusts the terminal resistance of fluids. Results & Conclusion: This study examined motor rotation and its operation under conditions similar to the physiological conditions of the heart. The simulator developed in this study produced diverse forms of waves, and the generated pressure waves well satisfied physiological conditions.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1021-1028
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• 2011

The objective of this paper is to optimize the design parameters of a novel mechanism for a robotic knee orthosis. The feature of the proposed knee othosis is to drive a knee joint with independent actuation during swing and stance phases, which can allow an actuator with fast rotation to control swing motions and an actuator with high torque to control stance motions, respectively. The quadriceps device operates in five-bar links with 2-DOF motions during swing phase and is changed to six-bar links during stance phase by the contact motion to the patella device. The hamstring device operates in a slider-crank mechanism for entire gait cycle. The suggested kinematic model will allow a robotic knee orthosis to use compact and light actuators with full support during walking. However, the proposed orthosis must use additional linkages than a simple four-bar mechanism. To maximize the benefit of reducing the actuators power by using the developed kinematic design, it is necessary to minimize total weight of the device, while keeping necessary actuator performances of torques and angular velocities for support. In this paper, we use a SGA (Simple Genetic Algorithm) to minimize sum of total link lengths and motor power by reducing the weight of the novel knee orthosis. To find feasible parameters, kinematic constraints of the hamstring and quadriceps mechanisms have been applied to the algorithm. The proposed optimization scheme could reduce sum of total link lengths to half of the initial value. The proposed optimization scheme can be applied to reduce total weight of general multi-linkages while keeping necessary actuator specifications.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.51 no.10
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• pp.204-209
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to produce a simulator that can control a pulse pressure keeping the pulse wave transfer phenomenon. For this, the elastic tube is combined with a compliance chamber for the vessel part. The simulator is comprised of four parts; a pressure generation part with slider-crank mechanism, a vessel part with resistance controller, water reservoirs and a measurement part. The changes of waveform depending on the location of a chamber is examined to determine the position of a chamber. The effects of a chamber on the pulse pressure and the pulse wave transfer phenomenon were investigated. It showed that the simulator which had the chamber in upstream of tube produces pressure wave, being more similar to the clinical waveform than in downstream of tube. Furthermore, with the chamber, the simulator generates a pulse pressure, being more similar to the normal physiological values than without one. The chamber had little effect on the pulse wave velocity.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.119-128
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• 2004

With the growing traffic density and increasing comfort requirements, the automation of the drive train will gain importance in vehicles. The automatic clutch actuation relieves the drivers especially in urban driving and stop-and-go traffic conditions. This paper describes the dynamic modeling of a clutch actuator and clutch spring. The dynamic model of the clutch system is developed using MATLAB/Simulink, and evaluated by experimental data using a test rig. This performance simulator is useful to develop the clutch-by-wire (CBW) system for an automated manual transmission (AMT). The electro-mechanical type CBW system is also implemented as an automatic clutch for AMT. The prototype of CBW system is designed and implemented systematically, which is composed of an electric motor, worm gear and slider-crank mechanism. The test rig is developed to perform the basic function test of the automatic clutch, and the developed prototype is validated by the experimental data on the test rig.