Energy Efficient Design of Single Degree of Freedom Mechanisms

Design for low-energy consumption is certainly not a new research field, yet it remains one of the most challenging. The synthesis of mechanisms with minimum-effort motions is one of the most promising areas. The aim of this study is to develop a new design technique to reduce the power consumption of actuators in mechanisms with a single degree of freedom. To achieve this, the prescribed variable speed of the input link is used. By controlling the movement of the input link with a prescribed velocity - defined to maintain constant kinetic energy in the mechanism—the input torque due to inertial effects is canceled. The originality of this approach lies in the fact that the mechanism is designed using traditional methods, while the cancellation of the actuating torque is achieved solely through optimal motion control of the input link. The effectiveness of the proposed solution is illustrated through CAD simulations.