Development of an Autonomous Transfer Machine Using Pneumatic Actuators

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a new type of autonomous transfer machine by making useof pneumatic actuators such as pneumatic cylinders and bellows actuators. It is possible for the proposed machine to realize compliant motion using compressibility of air. The machine consists of three mechanical parts, namely an air compressor, a mobile part, and alifting part. We can change the transfer modes of the machine by operating a switch box. These modes are manual settin gmode, lifting mode, standstill mode, and mobile mode. We illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed autonomous transfer machine through some experimental results.