Title :
Development of a mechanically coupled, six degree-of-freedom load platform for biomechanics and sports medicine
Author :
Krouglicof, Nicholas ; Alonso, Luisa M. ; Keat, William D.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Mechanical Eng., Union Coll., Schenectady, NY, USA
Abstract :
Six degree-of-freedom force sensors measure the three forces and three moments applied to a body. In general, there are two main design methodologies for six degree-of-freedom force sensors: mechanically decoupled and mechanically coupled designs. Mechanically decoupled force sensors have the advantage of low cross-sensitivity between the different axes. Unfortunately, decoupled designs necessitate a complicated geometry that leads to difficulties in manufacturing. In a mechanically coupled force sensor, the output signals cannot be attributed directly to specific force/moment components. Instead, the applied loads are derived by multiplying the output signals by a decoupling matrix. This additional computational effort is offset by the simplicity of the design. This work describes the development of a mechanically coupled, six degree-of-freedom load sensor that combines high accuracy and ease of manufacture. The sensor geometry was optimized and the decoupling matrix determined through finite element analysis. A prototype sensor was manufactured and tested. The experimental results validated the analysis and demonstrated the potential advantages of such a sensor.
Keywords :
biomechanics; finite element analysis; force sensors; matrix algebra; biomechanics; complicated geometry; decoupling matrix; finite element analysis; low cross-sensitivity; mechanically coupled six degree-of-freedom load platform; six degree-of-freedom force sensors; sports medicine; Biomechanics; Design methodology; Finite element methods; Force measurement; Force sensors; Geometry; Manufacturing; Prototypes; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Testing;
Conference_Titel :
Systems, Man and Cybernetics, 2004 IEEE International Conference on
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-8566-7
DOI :
10.1109/ICSMC.2004.1401228