Design and Analysis of a Clutched Parallel Elastic Actuator

Abstract

Various actuator topologies are discussed for the purpose of powering periodic processes and particularly walking robots. The Clutched Parallel Elastic Actuator (CPEA) is proposed to reduce the energy consumption of active exoskeletons. A nonlinear model of the CPEA is presented in addition to the mechanical design. The CPEA prototype is operated with a passive load on the walking trajectory of the hip joint. The actuator is controlled with a cascaded position control and a superimposed Iterative Learning Controller (ILC). The controller was chosen to ensure comparability between active and deactivated spring operation. The application of the CPEA has the potential to increase efficiency in the design of exoskeletons.