Coupled design of selectively compliant mechanisms and actuators

主动机械系统由被动机械系统（机构）和执行器系统组成。该提案侧重于一种特殊情况，即机械系统是一种柔顺机构。柔顺机构执行传统机构的功能，但原则上，它们没有任何可移动部件（轴承，导轨或接头）。相反，它们的功能依赖于柔性区域的有针对性的变形。通常，柔顺系统的设计基于优化任务。有许多因素表明将这种方法扩展到伴随的致动器系统的设计的益处：1）柔性系统的柔性区域仅能够在有限程度上承受集中力。在设计致动器系统时，必须对局部变形或不期望的变形部件的激励进行分析，这只能在形式优化的范围内以合理的费用进行。2）顺应性系统提供（在某些情况下甚至需要）分布式激活选项。分布式作动器系统的设计非常复杂，如果没有形式化的优化方法，很难成功地进行。3）通过耦合机构和作动器系统的设计，可以充分利用协同效应。特别是，它是可能的，以集成的承载性能的致动器的机械设计（特别是与固态致动器）。虽然许多方法的致动器系统的优化已被记载在文献中，他们不是很适合上述目标的集成优化的致动器和顺应机构。在本项目的帮助下，一个贡献的问题的解决方案是主动顺应系统的基于优化的设计方法的形式。

Active mechanical systems consist of a passive mechanical system (mechanism) and an actuator system. This proposal focuses on a special case scenario, whereby the mechanical system is a compliant mechanism. Compliant mechanisms perform the function of conventional mechanisms but in principle, they do not have any movable components (bearings, guides or joints). Instead, their functions rely on the targeted deformation of flexible regions.As a rule, compliant systems are designed on the basis of an optimization task. There are numerous factors that show the benefits of extending this kind of methodology to the design of the accompanying actuator system:1) The flexible regions of compliant systems are only capable of bearing concentrated forces to a limited extent. An analysis of local deformations or of the excitation of undesired deformation components must be performed when designing the actuator system, which can be only performed at reasonable expenses within the scope of a formal optimization.2) Compliant systems offer (and in some cases even require) the option of distributed activation. The design of a distributed actuator system is too complex to be undertaken successfully without the help of a formal optimization procedure.3) Synergies can be exploited by coupling the designs of mechanism and actuator system. In particular, it is possible to integrate the load-bearing properties of the actuators into the mechanical design (especially with solid state actuators).Although numerous approaches for the optimization of actuator systems have been documented in the literature, they are not very suitable for the above mentioned objective of an integrated optimization of actuator and compliant mechanism. With the help of the present project, a contribution to the solution of the problem is to be made in the form of an optimization-based design method for active compliant systems.