Experimental Study on Critical Design of Electro-Hydrostatic Actuators Small in Size and Light in Weight

Abstract

Actuation systems for robots and other machines used in critical applications is an area that requires further research. In such applications, a machine works in a human environment and physically interacts with humans. Reliability and backdrivability are still insufficient in current systems. An electro-hydrostatic actuator has the potential advantage of high reliability by nature and high backdrivability in mechanical simplexity when it is designed to be small and light. This study provides a theoretical investigation of the methods for evaluating internal leaks and other mechanical losses, such as Coulomb and viscous friction, and experimentally evaluates two types (trochoid and involute gear) of prototyped hydraulic pumps.