RAT 292 SENSORS AND ACTUATORS FOR ROBOTS MODULE IV

Module IV
Requirement of actuators for robotic applications, Pneumatic and Hydraulic actuators,
physical components.

REQUIREMENT OF ACTUATORS FOR ROBOTIC APPLICATIONS

Robots achieve the ability to move or execute specific mechanical tasks with the help of
various types of actuators, such as electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, etc. Often called the
muscles of robots, actuators significantly impact a robot’s functional features, i.e., degrees of
freedom (DOF), speed or velocity, accuracy, repeatability, load capacity (payload), etc.
Actuators are essential devices in robotics and widely common, particularly for industrial
applications. Actuation is the process of conversion of energy to mechanical form. An
actuator is a hardware device that accomplishes this conversion. It converts a controller
command signal into a change in a physical parameter.
An actuator should have the following characteristics:
 Low inertia
 High power-to-weight ratio
 Possibility of overload and delivery of impulse torques
 Capacity to develop high accelerations
 Wide velocity ranges
 High positioning accuracy
 Good trajectory tracking and positioning accuracy

PNEUMATIC ACTUATORS
They utilize pneumatic energy, i.e., compressed air, provided by a compressor and transform
it into mechanical energy by means of pistons or turbines. Pneumatic actuators are the other
type of fluid power devices for industrial robots. Pneumatic actuators utilize compressed air
for the actuation of cylinders and are widely used for typical opening and closing motions of
jaws in the gripper of a robot or for the actuation of simple robot arms used in applications
where continuous motion control is not of concern.

1
RAT 292 SENSORS AND ACTUATORS FOR ROBOTS MODULE IV

PNEUMATIC ACTUATORS PHYSICAL COMPONENTS

Air compressor
It draws the air from atmosphere , compress it and delivers compressed air to the pneumatic
system.
Air dryer
Controls direction of flow of compressed air by which it performs extension and retraction of
the actuator. The compressed air delivered by the compressor contains moisture from
atmosphere .Moisture is separated and removed by the air dryer. Only dry compressed air is
given to pneumatic systems.
Air receiver tank
It stores the compressed air. Apart from storing the compressed air ,it has several other
functions also. It act as a cooler to cool the hot compressed air. It act as a moisture separator
to separate and remove water contained in the compressed air. It act as a support to mount the
compressor and other components.

2
RAT 292 SENSORS AND ACTUATORS FOR ROBOTS MODULE IV

FRL unit
It is a combination of three different units:
a) Air filter
Air filter removes dust particles from compressed air and allows clean dry compressed air
to the system.
b)Air Lubricator
Air Lubricator adds lubricating oil to compressed air.
c)Air Regulator
Air Regulator controls pressure of compressed air.
Directional control valve
Controls direction of flow of compressed air by which it performs extension and retraction of
the actuator(double acting cylinder).
Flow control valve
It controls the rate of flow of compressed air by which speed of extension or retraction of the
actuator is controller.
Working of Pneumatic Actuator

Initially, in the absence of any supplied air, the control valve remains open and the diaphragm
is pulled upwards by the action of the spring. However, when the air is drawn from the
atmosphere then it is filtered by a filter and is provided to the compressor. The compressor
now compresses the air that causes an increase in the pressure level. It is to be noted here that
with the increase in pressure level of the air, its temperature also increases. So, to maintain
the temperature to a moderate range, air coolers are used. Now, the pressurized air is stored in
a storage reservoir so that the pressure level can be maintained. Furthermore, the pressurized
air inside the system applies force on the diaphragm of the actuator. When the force due to
pressurized air overcomes the force of the spring that keeps the diaphragm at the top then the
this causes downward movement of the diaphragm thereby closing the control valve. With
the increase in the pressure of supply air, the diaphragm continuously moves in the
downward direction and this completely closes the control valve at a certain point of time.
While once this supply pressure decreases, then the force that is applied by the spring on the
diaphragm overcomes the force due to supplied pressure. This causes motion in the upward
direction of the diaphragm thereby opening the control valve. It is to be noted here that the
position of the control valve depends on the air pressure. Thus, opening and closing of the
control valve is related to the movement of the diaphragm so with the air pressure.

Advantages

1. It is the cheapest form of all actuators. Components are readily available and compressed
air is normally an already existing facility in factories.

2.Compressed air can be stored and conveyed easily over long distances.

3
RAT 292 SENSORS AND ACTUATORS FOR ROBOTS MODULE IV

3. Compressed air is clean, explosion-proof and insensitive to temperature fluctuations, thus,

lending itself to many applications.

4.They have few moving parts making them inherently reliable and reducing maintenance
costs. 5.Since pneumatic systems are common throughout industry, therefore, relevant
personnel are often very familiar with the technology.

6. Very quick in action and response time, thus, allowing fast work cycles.

7. No mechanical transmission is usually required.

8. Pneumatics can be intrinsically safe in explosive areas as no electrical control is required.

Also in wet conditions there is no danger of electrocution.

9. The systems are usually compact.

10. Control is simple, e.g., mechanical stops are often used.

11. Individual components can be easily interconnected.

DISADVANTAGES
1.Since air is compressible, precise control of speed and position is not easily obtainable
unless more complex electromechanical devices are incorporated into the system. This means
that only a limited sequence of operation at a fixed speed is often available.
2.If mechanical stops are used, resetting the system can be slow.
3.Pneumatics is not suitable for moving heavy loads under precise control due to the
compressibility of air. This compressibility necessitates the application of more force than
would normally be necessary to ensure that the actuator is firmly in position against its stop
under load conditions.
4. If moisture penetrates the units and ferrous metals have been used then damage to
individual components can result.

HYDRAULIC ACTUATORS
Hydraulic actuators are one of the two types of fluid power devices for industrial robots. A
hydraulic actuator is very similar in appearance to that of pneumatically driven one.
Hydraulic actuators designed to operate at much higher pressures (typically between 70 and
170 bar). They are suitable for high power applications.
Hydraulic systems power the strongest and the stiffest robots and, hence, the bulk modulus of
the oil is an extremely important attribute to be selected. A high bulk modulus implies a stiff,
quickly responding system with a corresponding quick pressure build-up, while a low bulk
modulus may result in a system that is too loose because of the high compressibility of the oil.
Hydraulic systems or circuits have always four essential components: a reservoir to hold the
fluid, pumps to move it, valves to control the flow, and an actuator to carry out the dictates of
the fluid on some load. Rotary hydraulic actuators are also available in the market.

4
RAT 292 SENSORS AND ACTUATORS FOR ROBOTS MODULE IV

A hydraulic actuator consists of a cylinder or fluid motor that uses hydraulic power to
facilitate mechanical operation. The mechanical motion gives an output in terms of linear,
rotary or oscillatory motion. Because liquids are nearly impossible to compress, a hydraulic
actuator can exert considerable force. The hydraulic cylinder consists of a hollow cylindrical
tube along which a piston can slide. The term single acting is used when the fluid pressure is
applied to just one side of the piston. The piston can move in only one direction, a spring
being frequently used to give the piston a return stroke. The term double acting is used when
pressure is applied on each side of the piston; any difference in pressure between the two
sides of the piston moves the piston to one side or the other.

HYDRAULIC ACTUATORS PHYSICAL COMPONENTS

Oil Reservoir:
• To hold the fluid
• To cool the hot return oil
• To settle down the contaminants
Oil Filter
Remove suspended solid contaminants from the oil and to provide hydraulic oil to the system.
Hydraulic pump:
• To pump the hydraulic oil

5
RAT 292 SENSORS AND ACTUATORS FOR ROBOTS MODULE IV

• It converts mechanical energy (rotation of shaft) into hydraulic energy.

• Rotary pumps are preferred as the rate of flow (discharge) of rotary pump remains
constant irrespective of pressusre.
Pressure indicator:
Shows pressure reading so as to determine whether to open or shut off the valve.

Pressure relief valve

Connected to outlet pump. When pressure increases beyond pre-set value it release the oil
back tank.
Double acting cylinder
• To obtain a linear movement.
• It has two ports, through which working fluid is admitted in either directions, to move
piston in both directions.
Working of Hydraulic Actuator
The piping shown in figure is of closed-loop type with fluid transferred from the storage tank
to one side of the piston and returned back from the other side of the piston to the tank. Fluid
is drawn from the tank by a pump that produces fluid flow at the required level of pressure. If
the fluid pressure exceeds the required level, then the excess fluid returns back to the
reservoir and remains there until the pressure acquires the required level.
Advantages
1. High efficiency and high power-to-size ratio.
2. Complete and accurate control over speed, position, and direction of actuators are
possible.
3.Few backlash problems occur due to the stiffness and incompressibility of the fluid,
especially, when the actuator acts as the joint itself. Large forces can be applied directly
at the required locations.
4.They generally have a greater load-carrying capacity than electric and pneumatic robots.
5.No mechanical linkage is required, i.e., a direct drive is obtained with mechanical
simplicity.
6.Self-lubricating (low wear) and non-corrosive.
6. Due to the presence of an accumulator, which acts as a ‘storage’ device, the system can
meet sudden demands in power.
7. Hydraulic robots are more capable of withstanding shock loads than electric robots.

6
RAT 292 SENSORS AND ACTUATORS FOR ROBOTS MODULE IV

Disadvantages

1. Leakages can occur to cause loss in performance, and general contamination of the
work area. There is also higher fire risk.
2. The power pack can be noisy, typically about 70 decibel (dBA) or louder if not
protected by an acoustic muffler.
3. Changes in temperature alter the viscosity of the hydraulic fluid. Thus, at low
temperatures, fluid viscosity will increase, possibly, causing sluggish movement of
the robot.
4. For smaller robots, hydraulic power is usually not economically feasible as the cost of
hydraulic components do not decrease in proportion to size.
5. Servo control of hydraulic systems is complex and is not as widely understood as
electric servo control.