Prismatic Gravity Compensator for Variable Payloads
Raphaël Furnémont, Tom Verstraten, Dirk Lefeber, Bram Vanderborght
Abstract
Gravity compensators are passive devices that can lower the energy consumption of lifting systems by reducing the force/torque required from human users or actuators. This letter presents a prismatic gravity compensator for cranes, gantry, and other lifting systems. It is capable of statically balancing payloads between 0.8 kg and 8.7 kg over a stroke of 800 mm. The compensator is made of two modules: a constant force and a variable force module. The selection process for the components of each module is presented and a model of the compensator and its modules is developed. The impact of friction is also studied, and a strategy is proposed to still achieve balancing for various payloads.