Walking Machine Tool With Stewart Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
In hazardous and confined industrial environments, such as nuclear engineering and gas turbine engines, it is challenging and dangerous for human operators to position and control machine tools effectively for machining and inspection due to the need for precise positioning and variable machining stiffness.
Innovation Solution
A machine tool design featuring a first and second body with offset axes, supported by legs with prismatic joints and actuators that enable rotational motion, allowing for changes in walking direction and machining stiffness, and a method of controlling these actuators using user input and sensors to manage the machine tool's state between walking and machining modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a machine tool is used in hazardous and confined environments, then human safety is improved, but the complexity of positioning and controlling the machine tool increases
Solution Approach 1:
The machine tool is equipped with autonomous navigation capabilities including sensors (laser scanners, cameras, GPS), onboard processors, and self-positioning systems that enable it to navigate and position itself without human intervention in hazardous environments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with automated control systems that use computer vision, laser scanning, and robotic actuation to position and control the machine tool through software rather than mechanical human operation
2Measurement precision
If the machine tool structure is made more complex to enable precise positioning, then positioning precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The machine tool employs a multi-functional Stewart platform mechanism that integrates positioning, orientation, and stabilization capabilities in a single unified structure, allowing precise control through six degrees of freedom without requiring separate systems for each function
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses variable stiffness mechanisms and adjustable geometric parameters in the leg structures to achieve precise positioning by changing structural parameters rather than increasing overall system complexity
3Adaptability or versatility
If the machine tool is designed for variable machining stiffness, then adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The machine tool implements dynamic stiffness adjustment through active control of the Stewart platform leg actuators, allowing the structure to adapt its rigidity in real-time based on machining requirements through feedback from sensors and onboard controllers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves variable machining stiffness by changing the geometric parameters and actuation forces of the platform legs, allowing the same structure to provide different stiffness levels for different machining operations without physical reconfiguration
Data Source
AI summary
A machine tool comprising: a first body; a first leg, a second leg, and a third leg coupled to the first body via first joints and configured to support at least the first body; a second body including a tool holder; a fourth leg, a fifth leg, and a sixth leg coupled to the second body via second joints and configured to support at least the second body; and a first actuator coupled to the first body and to the second body, the first actuator being configured to cause rotational motion between the first body and the second body to enable a change in walking direction of the machine tool and/or to enable a change in machining stiffness and a change in work volume of the machine tool.