DIRECT-DRIVE MOTOR SYSTEM WITH PARTICLE-TYPE ER FLUID DAMPER

摘要

In most of robotic systems in industrial applications, vibratory problems occur at high-speed motion, because of elasticity of drive systems like reduction gear units and mechanical structures. Also friction and backlash in the drive systems cause serious problems. On the other hand, since direct-drive (DD) motor systems do not use reduction gears, those are effective for high-speed and high-precision control. In DD motor systems, however, low damping ratio, or large time delays of computers and amplifiers causes another type of problem at precise positioning phase. In this study, a particle type ER fluid damper was introduced to a DD motor system to compensate damping ratio mechanically. Because controlling viscosity of ER damper according to status of motion did not disturb advantage of the DD system that can move fast, the performance of the DD system was improved. The effectiveness of the proposed system was confirmed experimentally. The method of our study can contribute to expansion of usability of ER fluid dampers on industrial applications not limited to DD systems.