The Design and Analysis of a Compliant Constant-Force Mechanism

Compliant constant-force mechanisms (CFM) are a type of compliant mechanism which produce a reaction force at the output port that does not change for a large range of input motion. This paper describes a new compliant CFM, introduces its design and configuration-improvement process. A finite element analysis (FEA) model of the compliant CFM was created to evaluate its constant force behavior. The FEA result shows that when the displacement is Δ = 4 mm, the compliant CFM maintains a nearly constant force in the operational displacement range of 1.31 mm to 4 mm with an error of 5.05%. The operational range accounts for 67% of the total motion. This compliant CFM can be used to regulate the contact force of a robot end-effector or as an electrical connector.