Basic Characteristics on New Type Actuator that an Antagonized Bellows is Connected to Tip of a Pneumatic Cylinder Rod and Application to a Care Machinery

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In this study, we suggested a new type actuator (a Cylinder-Bellows Actuator) which an antagonized bellows actuator is connected to tip of a pneumatic cylinder rod. Furthermore, the basic characteristics of the Cylinder-Bellows actuator was made clear from some experimental results. With respect to the positioning control of the actuator, we confirmed that the actuator can easily realize fine positioning. This is because that the bellows actuator has no sliding parts. Therefore, the bellows can drive even if the cylinder stop because of friction forces at the sliding parts. Moreover, it is possible for the actuator to realize a flexible motion by using force sensing ability of the bellows. Thus, we applied the actuator to a direct drive mechanism of a human transfer machine for elderly people. The mechanism of the transfer machine is constructed with two mechanical parts. Those are a rotational part by using two bellows actrators and a straight line motion part by using the cylinder-bellows actuator. Moreover, a support part for a person is attached to the output bar of the antagonized bellows actuator of the cylinder-bellows actuator. The transfer process by using the machine is divided into three mode. The first process is manual setting mode and the second is transfer assist mode. The third is static stop mode. In the manual setting mode, we can adjust the position of the support part freely by using force sensing ability of the bellows actuator. In the transfer assist mode, when the person who use the machine bend forward while dripping the supporter, the transfer machine start to drive automatically. Furthermore, the machine can generate an adaptive transfer trajectory by itself as the person move the supporter, In the static stop mode, the transfer machine can stop at an arbitrary position by swiching off the transfer assist mode.