Robotic Walker for Slope Mobility Assistance with Active-Passive Hybrid Actuator  

作　　者：Junqiang Li Lei Zhao Tiejun Li 

机构地区：[1]不详

出　　处：《Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering》2021年第5期185-194,共10页中国机械工程学报（英文版）

基　　金：Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U1813222);Hebei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.E2018202316).

摘　　要：Walking assistance can be realized by active and passive robotic walkers when their users walk on even roads.However,fast signal processing and real-time control are necessary for active robotic walkers when the users walk on slopes,while assistive forces cannot be provided by passive robotic walkers when the users walk uphill.A robotic walker with an active-passive hybrid actuator(APHA)was developed in this study.The APHA,which consists of a rotary magnetorheological(MR)brake and a DC motor,can provide mobility assistance to users walking both uphill and downhill via the cooperative operation of the MR brake and DC motor.The rotary MR brake was designed with a T-shaped configuration,and the system was optimized to minimize the brake volume.Prototypes of the APHA and robotic walker were constructed.A control algorithm for the robotic walker was developed based on the characteristics of the APHA and the structure of the robotic walker.The mechanical properties of the APHA were characterized,and experiments were conducted to evaluate the mobility assistance supplied by the robotic walker on different roads.The results show that the APHA can meet the requirements of the robotic walker,and suitable assistive forces can be provided by the robotic walker,which has a simple mechanical structure and control method.

关 键 词：Robotic walker Active-passive hybrid actuator MR brake Slope mobility assistance 

分 类 号：TP242[自动化与计算机技术—检测技术与自动化装置]