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Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering

ISSN 2095-0233

ISSN 2095-0241(Online)

CN 11-5984/TH

Postal Subscription Code 80-975

2018 Impact Factor: 0.989

Front. Mech. Eng.    2016, Vol. 11 Issue (2) : 144-158    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11465-016-0391-0
RESEARCH ARTICLE
A feasibility study on the design and walking operation of a biped locomotor via dynamic simulation
Mingfeng WANG1,*(),Marco CECCARELLI2,Giuseppe CARBONE2
1. School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China; Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics (LARM), DICeM, University of Cassino and South Latium, Cassino 03043, Italy
2. Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics (LARM), DICeM, University of Cassino and South Latium, Cassino 03043, Italy
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Abstract

A feasibility study on the mechanical design and walking operation of a Cassino biped locomotor is presented in this paper. The biped locomotor consists of two identical 3 degrees-of-freedom tripod leg mechanisms with a parallel manipulator architecture. Planning of the biped walking gait is performed by coordinating the motions of the two leg mechanisms and waist. A three-dimensional model is elaborated in SolidWorks® environment in order to characterize a feasible mechanical design. Dynamic simulation is carried out in MSC.ADAMS® environment with the aims of characterizing and evaluating the dynamic walking performance of the proposed design. Simulation results show that the proposed biped locomotor with proper input motions of linear actuators performs practical and feasible walking on flat surfaces with limited actuation and reaction forces between its feet and the ground. A preliminary prototype of the biped locomotor is built for the purpose of evaluating the operation performance of the biped walking gait of the proposed locomotor.

Keywords feasibility study      biped locomotor      biped walking      mechanical design      dynamic simulation      tripod leg mechanism      3-UPU parallel manipulator     
Corresponding Author(s): Mingfeng WANG   
Online First Date: 01 June 2016    Issue Date: 29 June 2016
 Cite this article:   
Mingfeng WANG,Marco CECCARELLI,Giuseppe CARBONE. A feasibility study on the design and walking operation of a biped locomotor via dynamic simulation[J]. Front. Mech. Eng., 2016, 11(2): 144-158.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fme/EN/10.1007/s11465-016-0391-0
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fme/EN/Y2016/V11/I2/144
Fig.1  Design of the Cassino biped locomotor: (a) 3D model; (b) kinematic scheme
Fig.2  The arrangement of U-joints: (a) On the waist; (b) on each foot
Parameter Value
Degree of freedom 6 (3 per leg mechanism)
Weight 11.30 kg
Dimension (L×W×H) 500 mm×300 mm×502 mm
Step size 200 mm×40 mm
Step cycle 3 s/step
Speed 0.12 km/h
Tab.1  Main specifications of the 3D model of the proposed biped locomotor in Fig. 1
Parameter L W H Hw Lf Wf Hf Duw Duf Lt Lr Li0 Hf
Value/mm 500 300 502 10 201.6 126.6 10 35 35 263.6 317.4 435 10
Tab.2  Dimension parameters for the model in Fig. 3
Fig.3  Dimension parameters of the 3D model in Fig. 1 and Table 2
Fig.4  A scheme for the motion planning of the biped walking gait in a horizontal plane: (a) Start and end configurations; (b) a half step for the start phase; (c) to (f) normal walking phases
Fig.5  Human-like foot step trajectory during biped walking gait
Fig.6  Trajectories of the reference points for feet and waist in 3D space
Fig.7  Prescribed Cartesian components of the MC trajectories of: (a) The waist; (b) the left foot; (c) the right foot
Fig.8  Flowchart of the dynamic simulation procedure
Fig.9  A 3D dynamic model of the biped locomotor with characteristic forces in MSC.ADAMS® environment
Parameter mw mf mlt mlr mUj mleg Total mass
Value/mm 4.08 0.61 0.68 0.22 0.05 3.61 11.30
Tab.3  Mass values of components for the 3D model in Fig. 9
Fig.10  Input displacements of the six linear actuators in the MSC.ADAMS® environment for: (a) Left leg; (b) right leg
Fig.11  Computed input actuation forces of the six linear actuators: (a) Left leg; (b) right leg
Fig.12  Computed contact forces between the feet and the ground: (a) Left foot; (b) right foot
Fig.13  Computed MC linear accelerations during the walking for: (a) Waist; (b) left foot; (c) right foot
Fig.14  Computed MC trajectory of the waist: (a) In the O-XY plane; (b) in the O-XZ plane
Fig.15  Computed Cartesian components of the MC trajectories of: (a) Waist; (b) left foot; (c) right foot
Fig.16  Difference between the prescribed and computed displacements of the MCs of: (a) Waist; (b) left foot; (c) right foot
Fig.17  Snapshots of the simulated biped walking sequences of the tripod leg mechanism locomotor in MSC.ADAMS® environment, referring to the walking gait in Fig. 4. (a) t=1.75 s; (b) t=3.25 s; (c) t=4.0 s; (d) t=4.75 s; (e) t=6.25 s; (f) t=7 s
Fig.18  Layout for the proposed biped locomotor for experimental tests in air
Fig.19  Snapshots of a normal walking step sequences in the air: (a) In the sagittal plane, (b) in the frontal plane
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