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Lecture

Flexible Guiding: Design Principles

In course

MICRO-201: Mechanism Design II

Le second semestre du cours « Conception de mécanismes » développe les capacités créatrices de conception appliquées au domaine des mécanismes microtechniques. Il s'attache tant aux connaissances (composants, principes physiques, dimensionnement) qu'au pro ...

Description

This lecture covers the principles of flexible guidances in mechanisms, focusing on rectilinear movements and suppression of internal degrees-of-freedom. Topics include compound parallel spring stages, corner cube mechanisms, rectilinear mechanisms based on membranes, corner-blades, and circular mechanisms. The instructor discusses various mechanisms such as Sarrus mechanism, flexure-based mechanisms, and butterfly pivot, emphasizing factors like stroke, lateral error, and radial stiffness. The lecture also delves into the design considerations for rectilinear motorized axes, highlighting the optimization of pivots for ultra-high precision. Additionally, it explores the application of these mechanisms in space exploration instruments, specifically in the context of the European Mars Mission EXOMARS and the CLUPI instrument. The presentation concludes with insights on torsion bars and their torsion stiffness.

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Instructors (2)

Simon Nessim Henein

Born in 1973 and of Egyptian-Swiss nationality, Simon Henein grew up in Cairo. He obtained an engineering degree at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in 1996 and went on to complete his doctorate at the EPFL in 2000. In 2001, he published the book “Conception des guidages flexibles” which has become a reference in precision engineering. He then joined the Centre Suisse d’Electronique et Microtechnique (CSEM), Neuchatel, Switzerland, where he conceived and developed mechanisms for robotic, aerospace, medical and watchmaking applications. He pursued his research career at the Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland, where he developed instruments for the Swiss Light Source Synchrotron (SLS). Since November 1st, 2012, he is associate professor in microengineering at the EPFL, holder of the Patek Philippe Chair and director of the Micromechanical and horological design laboratory (Instant-Lab).

Olivier Chappuis

Official source

Related concepts (12)

Mechanism (engineering)

In engineering, a mechanism is a device that transforms input forces and movement into a desired set of output forces and movement. Mechanisms generally consist of moving components which may include: Gears and gear trains; Belts and chain drives; Cams and followers; Linkages; Friction devices, such as brakes or clutches; Structural components such as a frame, fasteners, bearings, springs, or lubricants; Various machine elements, such as splines, pins, or keys.

Machine

A machine is a physical system using power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolecules, such as molecular machines. Machines can be driven by animals and people, by natural forces such as wind and water, and by chemical, thermal, or electrical power, and include a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement.

Overconstrained mechanism

In mechanical engineering, an overconstrained mechanism is a linkage that has more degrees of freedom than is predicted by the mobility formula. The mobility formula evaluates the degree of freedom of a system of rigid bodies that results when constraints are imposed in the form of joints between the links. If the links of the system move in three-dimensional space, then the mobility formula is where N is the number of links in the system, j is the number of joints, and fi is the degree of freedom of the ith joint.

Linkage (mechanical)

A mechanical linkage is an assembly of systems connected to manage forces and movement. The movement of a body, or link, is studied using geometry so the link is considered to be rigid. The connections between links are modeled as providing ideal movement, pure rotation or sliding for example, and are called joints. A linkage modeled as a network of rigid links and ideal joints is called a kinematic chain. Linkages may be constructed from open chains, closed chains, or a combination of open and closed chains.

Kinematic chain

In mechanical engineering, a kinematic chain is an assembly of rigid bodies connected by joints to provide constrained motion that is the mathematical model for a mechanical system. As the word chain suggests, the rigid bodies, or links, are constrained by their connections to other links. An example is the simple open chain formed by links connected in series, like the usual chain, which is the kinematic model for a typical robot manipulator. Mathematical models of the connections, or joints, between two links are termed kinematic pairs.

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