Kinematics and Robot Design IV, KaRD2021

This volume collects the papers published on the special issue “Kinematics and Robot Design IV, KaRD2021” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/robotics/special_issues/KaRD2021), which is the forth edition of the KaRD special-issue series, hosted by the open-access journal “MDPI Robotics”. KaRD series is an open environment where researchers can present their works and discuss all the topics focused on the many aspects that involve kinematics in the design of robotic/automatic systems. Kinematics is so intimately related to the design of robotic/automatic systems that the admitted topics of the KaRD series practically cover all the subjects normally present in well-established international conferences on “mechanisms and robotics”. KaRD2021, after the peer-review process, accepted 12 papers. The accepted papers cover some theoretical and many design/applicative aspects

41st Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium

The proceedings of the 41st Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium are reported. JPL hosted the conference, which was held in Pasadena Hilton, Pasadena, California on May 16-18, 2012. Lockheed Martin Space Systems cosponsored the symposium. Technology areas covered include gimbals and positioning mechanisms, components such as hinges and motors, CubeSats, tribology, and Mars Science Laboratory mechanisms

Engineering Dynamics and Life Sciences

From Preface: This is the fourteenth time when the conference “Dynamical Systems: Theory and Applications” gathers a numerous group of outstanding scientists and engineers, who deal with widely understood problems of theoretical and applied dynamics. Organization of the conference would not have been possible without a great effort of the staff of the Department of Automation, Biomechanics and Mechatronics. The patronage over the conference has been taken by the Committee of Mechanics of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland. It is a great pleasure that our invitation has been accepted by recording in the history of our conference number of people, including good colleagues and friends as well as a large group of researchers and scientists, who decided to participate in the conference for the first time. With proud and satisfaction we welcomed over 180 persons from 31 countries all over the world. They decided to share the results of their research and many years experiences in a discipline of dynamical systems by submitting many very interesting papers. This year, the DSTA Conference Proceedings were split into three volumes entitled “Dynamical Systems” with respective subtitles: Vibration, Control and Stability of Dynamical Systems; Mathematical and Numerical Aspects of Dynamical System Analysis and Engineering Dynamics and Life Sciences. Additionally, there will be also published two volumes of Springer Proceedings in Mathematics and Statistics entitled “Dynamical Systems in Theoretical Perspective” and “Dynamical Systems in Applications”

Proceedings of the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics 2015

This volume contains the full papers accepted for presentation at the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics 2015 held in the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, on June 29 - July 2, 2015. The ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics is an international meeting held once every two years in a European country. Continuing the very successful series of past conferences that have been organized in Lisbon (2003), Madrid (2005), Milan (2007), Warsaw (2009), Brussels (2011) and Zagreb (2013); this edition will once again serve as a meeting point for the international researchers, scientists and experts from academia, research laboratories and industry working in the area of multibody dynamics. Applications are related to many fields of contemporary engineering, such as vehicle and railway systems, aeronautical and space vehicles, robotic manipulators, mechatronic and autonomous systems, smart structures, biomechanical systems and nanotechnologies. The topics of the conference include, but are not restricted to: ● Formulations and Numerical Methods ● Efficient Methods and Real-Time Applications ● Flexible Multibody Dynamics ● Contact Dynamics and Constraints ● Multiphysics and Coupled Problems ● Control and Optimization ● Software Development and Computer Technology ● Aerospace and Maritime Applications ● Biomechanics ● Railroad Vehicle Dynamics ● Road Vehicle Dynamics ● Robotics ● Benchmark ProblemsPostprint (published version

Multibody dynamics 2015

This volume contains the full papers accepted for presentation at the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics 2015 held in the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, on June 29 - July 2, 2015. The ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics is an international meeting held once every two years in a European country. Continuing the very successful series of past conferences that have been organized in Lisbon (2003), Madrid (2005), Milan (2007), Warsaw (2009), Brussels (2011) and Zagreb (2013); this edition will once again serve as a meeting point for the international researchers, scientists and experts from academia, research laboratories and industry working in the area of multibody dynamics. Applications are related to many fields of contemporary engineering, such as vehicle and railway systems, aeronautical and space vehicles, robotic manipulators, mechatronic and autonomous systems, smart structures, biomechanical systems and nanotechnologies. The topics of the conference include, but are not restricted to: Formulations and Numerical Methods, Efficient Methods and Real-Time Applications, Flexible Multibody Dynamics, Contact Dynamics and Constraints, Multiphysics and Coupled Problems, Control and Optimization, Software Development and Computer Technology, Aerospace and Maritime Applications, Biomechanics, Railroad Vehicle Dynamics, Road Vehicle Dynamics, Robotics, Benchmark Problems. The conference is organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona. The organizers would like to thank the authors for submitting their contributions, the keynote lecturers for accepting the invitation and for the quality of their talks, the awards and scientific committees for their support to the organization of the conference, and finally the topic organizers for reviewing all extended abstracts and selecting the awards nominees.Postprint (published version

Wireless readout method for resonant sensors based on instantaneous frequency measurement

Drahtloses Erfassen verschiedener physikalischer Größen, wie Temperatur, Kraft und Drehmoment, ist bereits heute eine wichtige Aufgabe der industriellen Messtechnik und wird durch die fortschreitende Automatisierung auch in anderen Gebieten stetig relevanter. Einen vielversprechenden Ansatz stellen dafür resonante Hochfrequenz-Sensoren dar, beispielsweise basierend auf akustischen Oberflächenwellen (SAW-Sensoren). Diese rein passiven Sensoren sind extrem robust und können auch unter schwierigsten Umgebungsbedingungen eingesetzt werden. Bisher scheitern jedoch viele Anwendungen dieser zukunftsträchtigen Technologie an den aufwendigen und teuren Lesegeräten, die zum Abfragen der Sensoren benötigt werden. Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt deshalb ein neues drahtloses Ausleseverfahren für resonante Sensoren vor, bei dem erstmalig das Prinzip der instantanen Frequenzmessung (Augenblicksfrequenz- bzw. Momentanfrequenzmessung) verwendet wurde, um das Antwortsignal des Sensors auszuwerten. Durch diesen interferometrischen Ansatz lassen sich hohe Messwertaktualisierungsraten mit deutlich reduziertem Hardwareaufwand realisieren. Um Nichtidealitäten sowie Einflüsse von Temperatur und Alterungseffekte der analogen Hardwarekomponenten zu minimieren, wurde eine In-situ-Linearisierung verwendet, die bekannte Referenzsignale einspeist, um damit systematische Fehler in den nachfolgenden unbekannten Messungen digital zu kompensieren. Ein Kernpunkt dieser Arbeit stellt die detaillierte theoretische Untersuchung zur Systemauslegung sowie den Systemgrenzen und Fehlerkompensationsmöglichkeiten des vorgeschlagenen Verfahrens dar. Dazu wurden alle Einzelkomponenten inklusive möglicher Quereinflüsse im Gesamtsystemkontext evaluiert und neben internen Fehlerquellen auch externe Störeinflüsse betrachtet. Dabei wurden entscheidende neue Erkenntnisse für den praktischen Einsatz dieses innovativen Messkonzeptes erlangt, die sich zum Entwurf eines optimierten Gesamtsystems nutzen lassen. Um die Realisierbarkeit des Konzepts zu zeigen, wurden Laboruntersuchungen durchgeführt und ein Systemdemonstrator im 2,4-GHz-Frequenzband entworfen und evaluiert. Dieser konnte mit einfacher Schaltungstechnik eine 3-Sigma-Präzision der Frequenzmessung unter 2 Millionstel (ppm) bei 1000 Messungen pro Sekunde erreichen. Zusammen mit der unkomplizierten Signalverarbeitung werden dadurch neue Maßstäbe hinsichtlich kostengünstiger Realisierungsmöglichkeiten gesetzt und enormes Potential für verschiedene industrielle, automotive und medizinische Anwendungen demonstriert.Wireless acquisition of various physical quantities, such as temperature, force and torque, is already an important task in industrial metrology and is becoming more and more relevant in other areas as a result of the increasing automation. Resonant high-frequency sensors, for example based on surface acoustic waves (SAW sensors), are a promising approach. These purely passive sensors are extremely robust and can be used even under the most difficult environmental conditions. So far, however, many applications of this innovative technology cannot be realized due to the complex and expensive reading devices required to interrogate the sensors. The present work therefore presents a new wireless readout method for resonant high-frequency sensors, using the concept of instantaneous frequency measurement for the first time to evaluate the response signal of the sensor. This interferometric approach allows high measurement update rates with significantly reduced hardware requirements. In order to minimize non-idealities as well as influences of temperature and aging effects of the analog hardware components, an in-situ linearization was used which feeds known reference signals to digitally compensate systematic errors in the following unknown measurements. A core topic of this work is the detailed theoretical investigation of the system design as well as the system limits and error compensation possibilities of the proposed method. For this purpose, all individual components including possible cross-influences were evaluated in the overall system context and, besides internal error sources, external interferences were also considered. Thereby decisive new findings for the practical application of this innovative measuring concept were obtained which can be used for the design of an optimized overall system. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the presented concept, laboratory investigations were performed and a system demonstrator in the 2.4 GHz frequency band was designed and evaluated. Using simple circuit technology, the system demonstrator was able to achieve a 3 sigma precision of the frequency measurement of less than 2 parts per million (ppm) at 1000 measurements per second. Together with the low complexity signal processing, this sets new standards in terms of cost-effective implementation possibilities and demonstrates huge potential for various industrial, automotive and medical applications