416results about How to "Reduce inertia" patented technology

The present invention is a wrist mechanism and a method for making robotic devices in which the transmission of motion, force and / or torque around a revolute joint can be accomplished without coupling. This construction allows mounting the actuators on the base or lower elements of a mechanism, so that only linkage elements move the end-effector. Thus reducing inertia of the moving elements and increasing performance of the device. The decoupled motion of the end-effector or links is achieved by routing their transmission cables around idler pulleys placed parallel to the joint rotation axis on an optimal position such any stretch on the transmission cable is minimized. In particular, this construction can be use for robotic surgical tools that have two independently driven jaws, decoupled and orthogonal from its articulating wrist. This device may be used in grasping, cutting, suturing or alike operations.

A parallel mechanism is capable of positioning and orienting an end platform with up to six or more degrees of freedom. In preferred embodiments, the mechanism includes six links having a first and second ends. The first end is connected to an end platform for supporting a tool, while the second end is connected to an actuator capable of translating the second end. A rotational drive mechanism may be provided for rotating an object mounted on the end platform at varying orientations of the end platform independently of movement of the end platform as a whole. The links may be curved in order to avoid interference between adjoining links, thereby permitting an increased range of motion and improved dexterity of the mechanism.

The present invention is a wrist mechanism and a method for making robotic devices in which the transmission of motion, force and / or torque around a revolute joint can be accomplished without coupling. This construction allows mounting the actuators on the base or lower elements of a mechanism, so that only linkage elements move the end-effector. Thus reducing inertia of the moving elements and increasing performance of the device. The decoupled motion of the end-effector or links is achieved by routing their transmission cables around idler pulleys placed parallel to the joint rotation axis on an optimal position such any stretch on the transmission cable is minimized. In particular, this construction can be use for robotic surgical tools that have two independently driven jaws, decoupled and orthogonal from its articulating wrist.

A low-cost CPAP apparatus in which, upon detection of the transition from inhalation to exhalation, the blower motor is de-energized to allow it to freewheel. When the pressure in the patient mask (or whatever interface is utilized) reaches a minimum pressure level during exhalation, the motor is re-energized and its speed is controlled so to maintain the pressure at a level suitable for exhalation. Upon detection of the transition from exhalation to inhalation, the motor speed is increased to provide higher pressures in the patient mask suitable for inhalation.

A low-cost CPAP apparatus in which, upon detection of the transition from inhalation to exhalation, the blower motor is de-energized to allow it to freewheel. When the pressure in the patient mask (or whatever interface is utilized) reaches a minimum pressure level during exhalation, the motor is re-energized and its speed is controlled so to maintain the pressure at a level suitable for exhalation. Upon detection of the transition from exhalation to inhalation, the motor speed is increased to provide higher pressures in the patient mask suitable for inhalation.

Systems and methods for turbocharging an internal combustion engine include operating two turbochargers in a series configuration for a first operating region and a parallel configuration for a second operating region. Systems and methods for controlling exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) in a turbocharged internal combustion engine provide low pressure EGR upstream of a compressor inlet for a first operating region and high pressure EGR downstream of a compressor outlet for a second operating range to further improve turbocharger operating margin and overall efficiency.

Systems and methods for turbocharging an internal combustion engine include operating two turbochargers in a series configuration for a first operating region and a parallel configuration for a second operating region. Systems and methods for controlling exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) in a turbocharged internal combustion engine provide low pressure EGR upstream of a compressor inlet for a first operating region and high pressure EGR downstream of a compressor outlet for a second operating range to further improve turbocharger operating margin and overall efficiency.

The present invention provides systems and methods for performing robotically-assisted surgical procedures on a patient. In particular, a three-component surgical system is provided that includes a non-sterile drive and control component, a sterilizable end effector or surgical tool and an intermediate connector component that includes mechanical elements for coupling the surgical tool with the drive and control component and for transferring motion and electrical signals therebetween. The drive and control component is shielded from the sterile surgical site, the surgical tool is sterilizable and disposable and the intermediate connector is sterilizable and reusable. In this manner, the intermediate connector can be sterilized after a surgical procedure without damaging the motors or electrical connections within the drive and control component of the robotic system.

A goggle based light-weight VOG system includes at least one digital camera connected to and powered by a laptop computer through a firewire connection. The digital camera may digitally center the pupil in both the X and Y directions. A calibration mechanism may be incorporated onto the goggle base. An EOG system may also be incorporated directly into the goggle. The VOG system may track and record 3-D movement of the eye, track pupil dilation, head position and goggle slippage. An animated eye display provides data in a more meaningful fashion. The VOG system is a modular design whereby the same goggle frame or base is used to build a variety of digital camera VOG systems.

Rotation mechanism for a forearm which includes a moving stay (2) which supports a wrist, which includes at least one guide track in the form of an arc of a circle, a fixed stay (4) which supports the rear end of a forearm, rods (12) that are rigid lengthwise which link the moving stay (2) and the fixed stay (4) and which allow the moving stay (2) and fixed stay (4) to rotate around a longitudinal axis (Z), by means of articulated links which can rotate (14), and a strut (6) rigidly linked at one of its ends to the fixed stay (4), and linked at its other end to a roller-bearing, whose rollers are in rolling contact with the guide track of the moving stay (2), and which cause the moving stay (2) to pivot around a longitudinal axis (Z), where the direction of said longitudinal axis (Z) passes through the centre of the arc of the circle of the guide track and through the centre of a circle defined by the ends of rods linked to the fixed stay.

An object of the present invention is to provide a construction of a motor with a built-in sensor, in which the total length of the motor is not increased, and can be made approximately equal to the total length of the conventional motor which has no built-in sensor. To achieve this object, in a motor 1 comprising a rotor 3 having rotor cores 6a and 6b and a stator 2 in which windings 5 are wound on a stator core 4 to form a rotational magnetic field, a substantially cylindrical recess 21 with a diameter smaller than the outside diameter of the rotor 3 is formed at the end face portion of the rotor core 6a, 6b, and in a space 22 which communicates with the recess 21, including the recess 21, and reaches the end face of the windings 5 of the stator 2, a part of a motor frame 11 to which a bearing 9 for rotatably supporting a rotor shaft 7 while passing through it is fitted and a sensor 23, on the outside of the bearing 9, for detecting the position or speed of the motor 1 are disposed.

A control system for a steerable thrusting device is disclosed comprising a mobile device and application which interface with an electronic controller to command the output power and directional heading of the steerable thrusting device. In at least one embodiment, the mobile device serves the functions of a mapping and input device that communicates bi-directionally with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and direction device-equipped electronic controller, which in turn controls the power and heading of the thrusting device on a marine vessel. Data can be stored on the mobile device or procured in real-time via network access to a dedicated database and communicated to the electronic controller in order to execute specific functions of the thrusting device control system. The data created in the control system is capable of being shared amongst similar devices via the use of a cloud network.

Improved miniature trailing edge effectors for aerodynamic control are provided. Three types of devices having aerodynamic housings integrated to the trailing edge of an aerodynamic shape are presented, which vary in details of how the control surface can move. A bucket type device has a control surface which is the back part of a C-shaped member having two arms connected by the back section. The C-shaped section is attached to a housing at the ends of the arms, and is rotatable about an axis parallel to the wing trailing edge to provide up, down and neutral states. A flip-up type device has a control surface which rotates about an axis parallel to the wing trailing edge to provide up, down, neutral and brake states. A rotating type device has a control surface which rotates about an axis parallel to the chord line to provide up, down and neutral states.

Turbochargers operate at extremely high speed, so balance of the rotating core is of the utmost importance to turbocharger life. A special balancing washer is added to the clamping region between the compressor nut and the nose of the compressor wheel to aid in keeping the wheel, nut, and stub-shaft on the turbocharger axis and to thereby prevent introduction of core unbalance.

A power distribution system is dynamically and adaptively configured in real-time to improve energy efficiency, reliability and power quality, particularly if the system includes renewable sources and storages. An optimal multi-objective scheduling and partitioning method is provided to partition the system into self-sufficient sections (SSS) through optimally combination of adjacent basic switching sections (BSS). The SSSs enable system operating at a lower cost, with less power losses, more energy efficiency, improved power quality, and sufficient transient security. The method uses two storage based transient security indices, storage compensation power margin (SCPM) and storage compensation energy margin (SCEM) evaluate the transient stability margin of distribution system. A minimal stability margin is used to ensure that the system remains stable when subject to large unexpected load deviations.

A small field radiation therapy machine having an aperture diameter of 30 cm or less provides improved ray definition for specialized treatment of portions of the human body such as head a breast.

A method for bonding a contact surface of a first substrate to a contact surface of a second substrate comprising of the steps of: positioning the first substrate on a first receiving surface of a first receiving apparatus and positioning the second substrate on a second receiving surface of a second receiving apparatus; establishing contact of the contact surfaces at a bond initiation site; and bonding the first substrate to the second substrate along a bonding wave which is travelling from the bond initiation site to the side edges of the substrates, wherein the first substrate and / or the second substrate is / are deformed for alignment of the contact surfaces.

An improved rotary servovalve system employs a rotary magnetic solenoid having an armature that includes at least one permanent magnet. The armature is rotatable relative to a stator formed as an electromagnet which is energizable to create alternative electromagnetic fields having opposite polarities from each other. When deenergized, the stator allows the armature to return to a neutral, null position from positions of extreme rotation in opposite angular directions due to the magnetic force of the permanent magnet of the armature. The armature is coupled to carry a movable valve element in angular rotation therewith, so that flow through the servovalve of the system can occur in alternative directions. Also, the valve element is biased toward a position in which all of the valve ports are closed when power is removed from the rotary solenoid. The control circuit employed in the rotary servovalve system expands the bandwidth of response of the solenoid actuator by compensating for frequency variations in the input command signal and in the feedback signal. This compensation is achieved utilizing a combined proportional, integral, and differential amplification circuit. Also, imbalance of fluid forces within the servovalve mechanism can be avoided by utilizing a pair of inlet orifices, a pair of outlet orifices, a pair of first fluid control orifices, and a pair of second fluid control orifices. The orifices within each pair are located on opposite sides of the valve housing from each other.

The invention provides a rope-driven exoskeleton type upper-limb rehabilitation robot system, comprising a supporting seat, a control system and a driving device, wherein a shoulder rope rack adjusted and positioned above a human shoulder joint is fixedly arranged on the supporting seat; an upper arm ring and a forearm ring are respectively and fixedly arranged on a human body upper arm and a human body forearm; a forearm rope penetrates through a rope outlet hole in the shoulder rope rack, and is connected with the forearm ring; an upper arm rope penetrates through the rope outlet hole in the shoulder rope rack, and is connected with the upper arm ring; a tension pressure sensor for measuring the tension of the rope in real time is connected in series with the interior of each of the upper arm rope and the forearm rope; the control system is connected with the tension pressure sensor; the driving device is connected with the control system; the driving device is simultaneously connected with the upper arm rope and the forearm rope; the tension pressure sensor feeds back a tension signal to the control system; the control system controls the driving device to drive the upper arm rope and the forearm rope to stretch or retract according to the position feedback of the driving device and the feedback of the tension pressure sensor, so that the exercise of rehabilitating an arm is realized. According to the rope-driven exoskeleton type upper-limb rehabilitation robot system, the single-joint exercise of the human body upper arm and the human body forearm and the compound exercise of a whole upper limb can be realized; therefore the function of rehabilitation exercise is realized.

The invention relates to a virtual controller of electromechanical characteristics for a static power converter that includes a PLC (23) (power loop controller), which receives, at the input thereof, the power difference (ΔP) between the input power (Pin) (power delivered to the converter by the primary source) and the power delivered to the grid (Pelec) and is able to modify online the parameters of the virtual inertia coefficient and the damping factor as a function of the desired response and of the grid conditions for different frequency ranges.

An apparatus for analyzing liquid samples packed in tubes (6) closed with a top (7) capable of being perforated, includes a support (4) for the tubes and a unit (8) for sampling an aliquot from each tube and delivering it into a receptacle for treatment and / or analysis, the unit (8) including a hollow needle (45) connected to a suction / delivery device and vertically mobile; the support (4) has a circular tray provided with several tube-holders (5) on its periphery and capable of rotating about a vertical axis to bring a position successively and selectively the tubes (6) borne by the tube-holders (5) in line with the unit (8); each tube-holder (5) is connected to the tray (4) through a linkage (31) with two degrees of freedom.

Oscillation and other disturbance damping is provided for a system having a load driven by an electric motor, e.g., an electromagnetic actuator. Damping is achieved using feedback in an active mode, where power is supplied in a normal operation mode of the electromagnetic actuator. Feedback may be provided by measured force (or torque) transmitted between the actuator and load mass. A gear train or other mechanical advantage device may be connected between the electromagnetic actuator output and load, this combination forming an electromechanical actuator (EMA). Instead of force or torque, acceleration of the load may be used as a feedback signal. In one embodiment, active mode damping uses the motor's actual current as a feedback signal. In certain or all active damping versions of the invention, a high pass filter is preferably used to receive feedback signals and filter out low frequency feedback. Alternatively, damping is achieved in an inactive (passive) mode of motor operation, e.g., where the electric motor is not receiving power drive signals. The motor coils are shorted, e.g., using a switch. The induced motor currents act to inhibit load oscillations. Preferably, a resistance, e.g., a number of resistors, are in the short circuit to tailor the damping characteristics of the motor. In at least the active current feedback and passive modes of operation, inertia of the electric motor is substantially reduced in relation to typical motor inertia, by changing the stator to rotor diameter ratio from a typical ratio of at or about 2:1 or less, to a substantially higher ratio than 2:1.

The invention discloses a double-lasso driving flexible joint used for an exoskeleton robot, which comprises a drive mechanism, a pre-tightening mechanism, a lasso transmission mechanism, a flexible mechanism and an exoskeleton joint. A motor drives a drilling roller to rotate; the two ends of a rope are respectively fixedly connected with the driving roller and a load roller; a driving torque is delivered to the load roller through the lasso transmission mechanism; the load roller is fixedly connected with the exoskeleton joint to drive the joint to move; a positioning hole and a positioning groove both capable of limiting the motion range of the joint are formed in the load roller; the pre-tightening mechanism adjusts a pre-tightening force of a rope by changing the screwing depth of a pre-tightening bolt so as to avoid looseness of a drive system; the flexible mechanism enables the joint to achieve flexibility and can measure an output torque based on a displacement offset of the motor and the joint. The double-lasso driving flexible joint used for the exoskeleton robot can realize separation of the motor and the exoskeleton robot, overcomes the problems of the quality of each joint of the exoskeleton and too great inertia, and can perform precise position control and force control on the drive joint.

The present invention relates to an improvement in an exhaust system structure for a motorcycle. A motorcycle has an engine disposed between front and rear wheels, an exhaust pipe extending from the engine, and a silencer connected to the exhaust pipe for discharging exhaust gases. The silencer, which is a heavy object, is of the type having a gas outlet disposed near a gas inlet. The silencer is disposed below the engine with the gas inlet facing toward the rear wheel, and the exhaust pipe extends to a position near the rear wheel and is connected to the gas inlet of the silencer. By elongating the length of the exhaust pipe and placing the silencer under the engine, the exhaust system performs sufficiently with high output engines, while at the same time lowers the center of gravity of a motorcycle body and balances the weight of the motorcycle body in its longitudinal direction.

A launcher system and method for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), wherein the launcher system comprises a barrel comprising a prepackaged internal pusher cup configured behind the UAV housed within the barrel; an expansion chamber operatively connected around the barrel, wherein the barrel extends out of a first end of the expansion chamber; a muzzle adapter operatively connected to a second end of the expansion chamber, wherein the first end of the expansion chamber is positioned opposite to the second end of the expansion chamber; a rifle slip-fitted to the muzzle adapter; and a stand operatively connected to the expansion chamber, wherein a triggering of the rifle causes the internal pusher cup to push the UAV out of the barrel at a predetermined launch velocity in order to attain a predetermined self-propelled flight trajectory.

A reducing device having a cable or a belt and cable, providing a high reduction ratio, and including: two driving drums; two sheave wheels; at least one driving cable traveling from a first driving drum to one sheave wheel, from the one sheave wheel to the second driving drum, from the second driving drum to the other sheave wheel, and from the other sheave wheel to the first driving drum; a driven cable, including one strand which travels from a fork of the one sheave wheel to a driven wheel, and one strand which travels from the driven wheel to a fork of the other sheave wheel. The driving drums have different diameters and / or different rotation speeds so rotation thereof causes movement of the sheave wheels driving the driven cable, and rotation movement of the driven wheel. The reducing device is applicable, for example, to robots and haptic interfaces.

A method of capturing images using a laser scanner equipped with a 2D micro actuator. The 2D micro actuator allows for laser beam location without the use of additional components dedicated to determining beam location. The 2D micro actuator is used to stabilize the positioning function of the spot in the scene. The micro actuator is a 1D micro actuator suspended within a second framework by two torsion bars and two pairs of orthogonal additional electrodes. The image is scanned, a precise rectangle of the character sensing field is generated and the image is created by keeping a substantially constant pitch.