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Technologies

High-Performance Joints For High Accuracy And High Repeatability

ID: 2017-071 A membrane-enhanced lamina emergent torsion (M-LET) joint to constrain motion in undesired directions while not inhibiting the motion in the desired direction of the joint.

ID: 2017-071
Principal Investigator: Larry Howell

Lamina emergent compliant mechanisms (including origami-adapted compliant mechanisms) are mechanical devices that can be fabricated from a planar material (a lamina) and have motion that emerges out of the fabrication plane. Lamina emergent compliant mechanisms often exhibit undesirable parasitic motions due to the planar fabrication constraint.

This technology consists of a LET joint that reduces parasitic motions of lamina emergent mechanisms (LEMs), and presents equations for modeling parasitic motion of LET joints. M-LET also makes possible a one-way joint that can ensure origami-based mechanisms emerge from their flat state (a change point) into the desired configuration.

The membrane adds a minimal increase in stiffness in the desired direction of motion, but it significantly increases stiffness in directions that the traditional LET joint have undesired parasitic motion. The integration of M-LET joints as surrogate folds can reduce parasitic motions and increase precision and repeatability.

About the Market:
The invention is useful for developing high-performance origami-inspired compliant mechanisms where high accuracy and high repeatability are required.

For more information, contact 801-422-6266

Links and Resources

  1. One Page Summary PDF
  2. Inventor Webpage - Larry Howell
  3. Inventor Webpage - Spencer Magleby
  4. Compliant Mechanisms Research Group Webpage