• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.142-147
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• 1998

Developing robot hands with multi-degree-of-freedom is one of the topics that researchers have recently begun to improve the limitation by adding flexibility and dexterity. In this study, an articulated servo-pneumatic robot hand system with direct-drive joints has been developed whose main feature is the minimization of the dimension. The servo-pneumatic system is advantageous to fabricate a dexterous robot hand system due to the high torque-to-weight and torque-to-volume ratio. This enables the design of a finger joint with an integrated rotary vane type actuator which produces high output torque without reduction gears, being very robust. In order to control the servo-pneumatic finger joints, a miniature proportional valve that can be attached to the robot hand is required. In this paper, a flapper nozzle type 4/3-way proportional directional valve has been designed and tested. The experimental results show that the developed valve can control a finger joint satisfactorily without much vibratory joint movements and acoustic noises.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.331-336
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• 1995

In this past decade, industrial robot have substituted human workers successfully in certain areas, however, the applications are limited due to the shortcoming in their mechanism and control strategies. Many researchers, therefore, have focused on improving the mechanical and sensory capabilities. Developing mult-degree-of-freedom end effectors, in other words robot hands, is one of the topics that researchers have begun to improve the limitation. A set of direct drive type servo-pneumatic finger joint has been developed for a dexterous robot hand. To control the pneumatic finger joints, a prototype 4/3-way proportional control valve has been designed and tested as a preliminary, research for the control of the pneumatic finger joints. A series of experiments have been conducted to verify the performance characteristics of the valve and the conventional proportional error contral with minor-loop compensation has been used to control the anguar position of the finger joints.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.163-173
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• 2001

The dynamic behavior characteristics of a small fishing crane for inshore and coastal fishing vessels was experimentally analyzed in order to improve the fishing operation and to reduce considerably manual work of fisherman. The small fishing crane was designed to be controlled electro-hydraulically by means of proportional valves and solenoid valves, and also to be controlled the speed of each operation. The dynamic behavior characteristics was investigated by measuring the changes of parameters such as oil pressure, swing angle of load, load tension, the lifting angle and the swing angle of crane arm when the arms extended in a side way was given a test load. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. The designed small fishing crane can be proportionally controlled by means of proportional valves and rapidly by operating the solenoid valves, respectively. The capacity, turning angle, maximum reach of crane were 2 T-M, $180^\circ$, 3.7m, respectively. 2. The vertical change of crane arm on the extension of lifting cylinder was $1.2^\circ$/cm, and the swing speed of crane arm due to the extension of swing cylinder by on/off operations of solenoid valves was $15^\circ$/sec, with the swing period of 1.4 sec and the angle fluctuation of $\pm$11.0$^{\circ}$. 3. When changing simultaneously the horizontal and vertical positions of the lifting load by on/off operations of solenoid valves, the swing and lifting speeds of crane arm were $4.46^\circ$/sec and $6.4^\circ$/sec, respectively. 4. The movements of the designed crane were particularly smooth as they are controlled with the aid of proportional valves than by means of solenoid valves.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.16 no.1 s.94
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• pp.42-48
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• 1999

A control method for a robot hand grasping a object in a partially unknown environment will be proposed, where a proximate sensor detecting the distance between the fingertip and object was used. Particularly, the finger joints were driven servo-pneumatically in this study. Based on the proximate sensor signal the finger motion controller could plan the grasping process divided in three phases ; fast aproach, slow transitional contact and contact force control. That is, the fingertip approached to the object with full speed, until the output signal of the proximate sensor began to change. Within the perating range of the proximate sensor, the finger joint was moved by a state-variable feedback position controller in order to obtain a smooth contact with the object. The contact force of fingertip was then controlled using the blocked-line pressure sensitivity of the flow control servovalve for finger joint control. In this way, the grasping impact could be reduced without reducing the object approaching speed. The performance of the proposed grasping method was experimentally compared with that of a open loop-controlled one.