[54] PNEUMATIC HUMAN POWER AMPLIFER MODULE
[76] Inventor: Homayoon Kazerooni, 2806 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, Calif. 94705
[21] Appl. No.: 08/877,094 [22] Filed: Jun. 17, 1997
Related U.S. Application Data
[63] Continuation-in-part of application No. 08/624,038, Mar. 27, 1996.
[51] Int. CI. B66D 1 00
[52] U.S. CI 254/270; 254/264; 254/274;
254/331; 254/360; 414/5; 212/285
[58] Field of Search 254/266, 270,
254/274, 331, 360, 361, 362; 212/331, 330, 338, 285; 414/2, 4, 5
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
2,940,608 6/1960 Underwood et al 212/124
3.384,350 5/1968 Powell 254/172
3^773,296 11/1973 McKendrick 254/189
3,791,627 2/1974 Stone et al 254/168
3.907,120 9/1975 Johnston et al 212/26
3,921,959 11/1975 Ulbing 254/168
3,933,388 1/1976 Conboy 294/64
3,940,110 2/1976 Motoda 254/168
4,302,138 11/1981 Zaradinasky 414/5
4,500,074 2/1985 Fox et al 254/270
4,557,659 12/1985 Scaglia 414/627
4,636,962 1/1987 Broyden et al 364/478
4,730,743 3/1988 Rosman 212/205
4,775,289 10/1988 Kazerooni 414/735
4.789,135 12/1988 Watanabe 254/362
4^844,421 7/1989 Kojima 254/270
4,884,941 12/1989 Kazerooni 414/744.5
4.917,360 4/1990 Kojima 254/362
5,139,156 8/1992 Nakamura 212/149
Primary Examiner—Katherine Matecki
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Skjerven, Morrill, MacPherson,
Franklin & Friel LLP; David E. Steuber
[57] ABSTRACT
A pneumatic human power amplifier module is usable in conjunction with a wide variety of pneumatic actuators and lifting devices to provide a human power amplifier for lifting a load. The module includes an end-effector, an electronic controller and a pneumatic circuit. The end-effector contains a human interface subsection which is grasped by a human operator and a load interface subsection which engages the load to be lifted. A force sensor in the end-effector detects the force imposed by the operator on the end-effector and transmits a signal representing the magnitude of the force to the controller. The controller in turn sends a command to the pneumatic circuit, which controls the flow of air into the associated pneumatic actuator. The actuator drives the lifting device. The controller and the pneumatic circuit are arranged such that the lifting device and the operator share the burden of lifting the load, with the operator supplying a predetermined percentage of the total force required to lift the load regardless of the size of the load.
39 Claims, 19 Drawing Sheets
