Optimal design of harmonic drive servo

Design of modern mechatronic systems can be an overwhelming task. The underlying difficulty lies in that several different engineering domains are combined in one product, creating integration issues. Commonly used design methodologies are based on optimizing the different domains separately; hence creating a sub optimized final system. A cornerstone in many modern products is the mechatronic servo system which needs to be able to accurately control motion while still conforming to ever increasing demands on important factors such as cost, size and weight. This paper further builds upon a design methodology developed by the authors by adding design models for harmonic drives. The design methodology is capable of supporting the designer in developing mechatronic products by giving him/her a time efficient method to early on in the design process evaluate concepts. The new harmonic drive models are applied to a design case featuring a haptic steering interface for a steer-by-wire vehicle. It is concluded that the harmonic drive models are simple; yet accurate enough for the type of early design decisions they are to be used for.