Artificial musculoskeletal mechanism
First Claim
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1. An artificial skeletal mechanism comprising:
- a support plate;
a central rigid link having the general shape of an inverted T with a long bar and a cross bar;
a pair of pre-stretched elastic tubular actuators, each actuator defining an inner fluid pressure chamber and being formed with a fluid flow passage leading into said inner pressure chamber for feeding controllable pressure fluid thereiento in order to stretch said elastic actuator and control the axial tension thereof, each of said actuators including means for altering the force produced by said actuators as a function of extension, wherein said actuators produces a force-extension curve substantially identical to that produced by an actual muscle,first and second articulation means respectively mounting one end of said actuators to one of the free ends of said cross bar; and
third, fourth and fifth articulation means respectively mounting the free end of said long bar and the other ends of said actuators to said support plate, said articulation means allowing articulation of said actuators and link about parallel axes.
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Abstract
An artificial skeletal mechanism having a central rigid inverted T-shaped link and a pair of elastic tubular actuators on either side of the link, each actuator having an inner chamber for receiving a pressure fluid serving to pretension it. Each actuator has one end articulated to one end of the cross bar of the T so that they are antagonistically pretensioned. The artificial skeletal mechanism is intended to transform the contraction of one actuator, following extension of the other, into rotation of the link which is articulated at the free end of its long bar.
101 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An artificial skeletal mechanism comprising:
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a support plate; a central rigid link having the general shape of an inverted T with a long bar and a cross bar; a pair of pre-stretched elastic tubular actuators, each actuator defining an inner fluid pressure chamber and being formed with a fluid flow passage leading into said inner pressure chamber for feeding controllable pressure fluid thereiento in order to stretch said elastic actuator and control the axial tension thereof, each of said actuators including means for altering the force produced by said actuators as a function of extension, wherein said actuators produces a force-extension curve substantially identical to that produced by an actual muscle, first and second articulation means respectively mounting one end of said actuators to one of the free ends of said cross bar; and third, fourth and fifth articulation means respectively mounting the free end of said long bar and the other ends of said actuators to said support plate, said articulation means allowing articulation of said actuators and link about parallel axes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification