INTEGRATED DESIGN OF TETROBOT STRUCTURES TYPE

TEUAN EMIL, MTIE VISTRIAN, SZABO FELIX SEBASTIAN

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF CLUJ-NAPOCA

Key words: integration, mechatronics, tetrobot

Abstract: The paper presents details regarding the integrated design of the Tetrobot structures type.
Based on the constructive and operational peculiarities of these structures the main problems regarding
structural and operational integration are outlined.
The functional integration is mainly based on the control problems for these structures based on the
tethraedrical modules which belong to the different Tetrobot type.

Introduction
The mechanism and conventional machines represent made structures from mechanical
elements with determinated movements and the links between elements realized by kinematic
joints. Otherwise, in traditional tehnology/product the main elements used to obtain the
request objectives by application, are the energy and material. In the traditional/conventional
engineering the specific approachments for mechanisms and machines conceptions are made
sequential step by step, even from the phase of conception and design, pursuant to figure 1.
Design

Design

Mechatronic System
Mechanic Syst.

Mechanic System

Electronic Syst.

Information Syst.

Electronic System

Fig. 1. Classic design

Figura 2. Proiectarea mecatronic

If in the traditional conception the movements control was attached later, in the new
approach the control is integrated, otherwise from the beginning of the design it has in view
the whole system, an eloquent approach showed in the figure 2.
The mechatronic was born as a technology and became a philosophy which was spreaded
in the entire world. It's proved that the mechatronics is an efficacious solution for the
promoting the interdisciplinary as a base for stimulating the initiative and . The mechatronic
technology, the mecatronic principles in the education, it's fusion managed at the outline of
the mechatronics philosophy. This new approach, in the products and services conceptions
[1], marked the leap from the traditional engineering to the simultaneous or competitive
engineering [2]. In the last five years, the mechatronics is defined the science of the intelligent

machines, and the tendency in the technologic development has in view the intellectualization
of the machines and the systems [3].
The scheme for the traditional engineering is eloquent presented in figure 3, where it can
be noticed that the development of the production's cycle begins with the analysis of the
market and with the research and development activity [4]. Conventionally, a series of
sequential steps was processed for design, and then it passed to identify the processes,
machine the parts, assemble the components and ship the products to the marketplace. Product
designers are mainly concerned on the problems regarding the product's performance and
function, and less on the aspect regarding the production process and its constraints. This
approach, step by step didn't establish a dialogue between the designers and the others process
performers [5].
Users

Users

Market
analysis

Market
analysis

Design

Process
planning

Manufacturing

Concurent design of
product and process

Manufacturing

Product
cycle

Manufacturability Assemblability

A series
of engineering
change orders

Fig. 3. Approach manner of

sequential engineering.

Process
Testability
planning
Control
logic
Cost
Engineering
estimation
analysis
Reability
and Ergonomics
maintenance

Figura 4. Approach manner in

concurent engineering

Because of the deeply influences caused by the evolution of the microelectronics,

automatiques and IT science was made step to the competitive engineering, represented in the
figure 4 [6].
The main concept regarding the settlement of the specific problems in mechatronic is the
integration. The specific approaches, the methods and the ways of the investigation are
specific to mechatronics educational medium for the integrating society based on
knowledge.
The paper presents details regarding the approaches, in a specific application concerning
the Tetrobot structures type.
Peculiarities regardind to construction and function of Tetrobobot structures type
The structure of a Tetrobot represents a robot, in which a hardware and software device
works together to obtain an arbitrary number of different configurations.
Practically a Tetrobot is a generalized adaptive truss, which can be adjusted to different
applications using actuators and a new joint mechanism [7]. The struts can be rigid or liniar
actuators like electrical, pneumatical and hydraulical. Tetrobots elements are connected
between them through the mechanisms type presented in figure. 5.
We observe that the driven strut of this links mechanism can performed the movements of
the spherical joint, mechanisms which have in his structures only the 5 -th class rotation joints
and the intermediary elements formed two parallelogram linkages.

Fig.5. Connecting mechanism

Fig.6. Mechanism with three

elements

Fig.7. Tetrahedrical
structure

This include a number of

arbitrary elements to be
interconnected, such as it can alow the sferical movement. In figure 6 is presented the way in
which several elements (three elements for the presented case) are connected to a common
rotation centre. The presented models have been achieved using SolidWorks software [9],
which allows the obtaining of some functional models on the scale.
Starting from these mechanisms placed at the top of the tetrahedrical, Fig. 7.,
octohedronal, type cells, different structures of Tetrobots can be developed. The Tetrobot is
built by linking a number of tetrahedrical or octohedronal cells. The cells are attached so that
they share a single common triangular face.
All of the struts in the truss are connected together by spherical joints at the nodes. These
spherical joints are passive and allow the truss structures to change shape as the actuated
struts become longer or shorter.
Aspects concerning integrated design of Tetrobot structures type
The integration concept of whichever robotically application and not only, presents two
basic components, namely structural integration and functional integration.
The structural integration makes reference to the integration of hardware in the structures
ensemble and is a necessary approach to determine the actuators type thus, setting out desired
configuration.
The functional integration refers to checking problems for each actuator thus, this being
synchronized for all three motors.
To obtain a varied range of paths/surfaces using the same mechanical structure, each
engine needs to be activated by his own actuator using in this case adequate transducers for
positions, velocities, etc.
The basic structure of a mechatronic system to generate and transmit movement, which
includes a tetrahedrical module with three degrees of mobility is represented in Fig. 8.
To generate paths/surfaces in space three actuators are needed and furthermore, for timing
them a generator of surfaces/paths is necessary, which is integrated in the structure of the
mechanism.
On the moving parameters basis that are imposed to characteristic point P(x,y,z), the
generator establish and correlate the three actuators motion lows. Path changing is possible by
modifying the motion lows.

Imposed
path

Controler

Perturbations

+
Assignment
programming
system

Amplifier 1

Actuator 1

Amplifier 2

Actuator 2

Amplifier 3

Actuator 3

Path

+
-

Control
algorithm
+
-

Signal
conditioning
device

Mechanism

Sensors

Fig. 8. Flow chart of a tetrahedrical module with three degrees of mobility

Cocnclusions
This study presents constructional and functional peculiarities of Tetrobot type structures.
The approaches make references to mechatronics, educational medium for integration.
Mechanical technology is the mechatronics backbone. Progresses in electronic
technology allow integrated circuits to be added in the mechanical structures realized the
electromechanical integration. By microprocessors it can be prelevated informations
regarding internal and environment conditions and it is possible to take decisions for the
systems behavior. Mechanical systems become inteligent and its performences depends in
great measure on control algorithms and information processing manner.
The characteristic feature of mechanisms in terms of mechatronics its constituted by the
presence in their structure of information linkages which consist of sensors, transducers,
signal conditioning devices. Informational link determined like this, holds together flexibility
and reconfiguration in mechanisms function.
Because the control of motion parameters has a critical part in mechanisms for
mechatronic running, a new approach concerning the design of these mechanisms is required,
namely control design. In other words the problem of implementing an efficient control
system must be yet taken into consideration since the designing concept faze. The decision
has to be made according to the applications essential and the adopted solution must answerd
with requirements taking into account the price/performance ratio that will be mildly reflected
in structures complexity.
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