Abstract
In this paper, we present the mechanical design and modeling of a manipulation system for unmanned aerial vehicles, which have to physically interact with environments and perform ultrasonic non-destructive testing experiments and other versatile tasks at unreachable locations for humans. The innovation of the prototype lies in the use of a three degrees of freedom Delta robotic manipulator together with a nondestructive testing end-effector, realized by a Cardan gimbal that allows the ultrasonic sensor to compliantly interact with the remote environment. The Cardan gimbal is endowed with a small actuator for the roll motion of the end-effector, a compliant element in the direction of interaction and two passive rotational degrees of freedom with defined equilibria to overcome gravity and to define a stable zero reference. Simulation results of a ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicle interacting with a wall validate the overall mechanical design
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2012 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Publication date | 2012 |
Pages | 3147-3152 |
Article number | 6224749 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781467314039 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2012 |