Design and Modelling of Flexure Mechanism Based Gravity Compensation System

A gravity balancing system is required to balance the gravitational component introduced by a robotic arm’s self-weight in order to maximize performance, energy efficiency, and stability. In this paper a flexure mechanism is designed to compensate for the gravitational component present in the three degrees of freedom robotic arm. The purpose of this mechanism is to counterbalance the self-weight of the arm. The proposed gravity balancing mechanism exhibits varying stiffness across the range of motions. This characteristic sets it apart from conventional passive systems. To design the flexure mechanism the manipulator’s performance, kinematic and dynamic analyses are conducted. These analyses assess the joint torque required to move the manipulator within the gravitational space. Based on these findings, an equivalent flexure mechanism is designed to be placed at the manipulator’s joints, effectively compensating for the gravitational component. Finite element (FE) simulations are performed to study the behavior of the system. These simulations provide insights into the performance and suitability of the designed mechanism for the manipulator.