The Cyclone 3 provides a new means of actuation for robotic systems. It’s an electromechanical linear actuator that’s intended to power linkages. Using a novel approach to transmission design, we have created an actuator that can be profiled in a manner similar to a rotary cam component. Its functionality is akin to a synergy of a cam and a ball-screw, though the methods and materials used are more elegant than those present in either. Using only standard rope methods, inexpensive ball bearings, injection-molded plastic, and extruded metals, the Cyclone 3 transforms many motor rotations (typically 15 – 100) into a small and useful amount of linear motion that easily integrates into and powers 2D and 3D linkage designs.
Unlike any other “screw” to date, it can be designed to have a “pitch” that varies as the motor rotates through its range of motion. This can be exploited to render a number of benefits to the designer. If the force-deformation plot of the actuator being used is non-linear (as is, for example, in many lifting systems), we can create a profile that negates the non-linear effects that are typically created by the geometries of linkage-type systems. This allows the electric motor that powers the actuator to run at a constant speed and a constant torque, even as the speed and the force of the linear output vary. Depending on the application, this can double or even triple the average efficiency and power exhibited by the actuator, rendering a design with smaller motors, reduced actuation times, and higher motor running efficiencies.
A second benefit that may be realized with the Cyclone 3’s core feature is that of providing hold positions. We can engineer the profile to have positions in which it may hold loads indefinitely until the motor is energized. In modern engineering practice, this is typically achieved with brakes, clutches, or valves. Using a Cyclone 3, a designer can integrate a hold position into the actuator’s behavior effortlessly.
The last benefit that comes from the Cyclone 3’s profileability feature is a two-stage transmission option. We can design and produce Cyclone 3’s that have two gear reductions that are inherent to the profile itself, each of which is capable of supplying power through the full range of motion. The range (defined as the difference between the drivetrain reduction values) can be designed to be quite high. A range of 5, for example, means the high speed range is 5x faster than the high force range, and the high force range is 5x stronger than the high speed range, all with the same motor operating conditions.
We have developed the patented core infrastructure, the manufacturing expertise, and the design tools that are necessary to create a wide spectrum of Cyclone 3 behaviors, as described above. We will be offering the Cyclone 3 to businesses, as well as directly to designers, engineers, and makers.
