A Computational Design Tool for Compliant Mechanisms
V. Megaro, J. Zehnder, M. Bächer, S. Coros, M. Gross, B. Thomaszewski
Proceedings of ACM SIGGRAPH (Los Angeles, United States, July 30 - August 3, 2017), ACM Transactions on Graphics, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 82:1--82:12
Abstract
We present a computational tool for designing compliant mechanisms. Our method takes as input a conventional, rigidly-articulated mechanism defining the topology of the compliant design. This input can be both planar or spatial, and we support a number of common joint types which, whenever possible, are automatically replaced with parameterized flexures. As the technical core of our approach, we describe a number of objectives that shape the design space in a meaningful way, including trajectory matching, collision avoidance, lateral stability, resilience to failure, and minimizing motor torque. Optimal designs in this space are obtained as solutions to an equilibrium-constrained minimization problem that we solve using a variant of sensitivity analysis. We demonstrate our method on a set of examples that range from simple four-bar linkages to full-fledged animatronics, and verify the feasibility of our designs by manufacturing physical prototypes.
