A Pan–Tilt Orienting Mechanism With Parallel Axes of Flexural Actuation

摘要

This paper presents the design and prototype of a camera-orienting mechanism. Bioinspired actuators and mechanisms have been developed to pan and tilt a camera with comparable characteristics as a human eye. To meet the stringent space/weight requirement of robotic applications, a compact-orienting mechanism is proposed. We specifically aim at matching the size of a human eye. Through the arrangement of two parallel placed actuators and flexible mechanisms, nearly uncoupled pan and tilt motions can be provided in a streamlined space. The flexible mechanisms utilize the deflection of beams to replace the kinematic joints; thus, they have fewer parts and can be easily adapted to a small and irregular design space. The optimal mechanism configuration has linear input–output relation that makes driving electronics very direct. Through verification and prototype illustration, the novel orienting mechanism is expected to serve as an alternative for robotic vision applications.