# US 2014/0151947 A1 · Precision tripod motion system with six degrees of freedom > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0151947 A1 - Document ID: US20140151947A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/096,852 - Filed: 2013-12-04 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-05 - Assignees: ALIO Industries, Inc. - Applicants: ALIO Industries, Inc. - Inventors: Nathan Lyons Brown; Clement William Hennessey; Daniel Fording Crews - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151947A1 ## CPC - B23Q 3/04: adjustable in inclination - B23Q 1/4809: {followed perpendicularly by a single rotating pair} - B25J 9/0045: {with kinematics chains having a rotary joint at the base} - B25J 17/0266: {comprising more than two actuating or connecting rods} - A61B 17/62: Ring frames, i.e. devices extending around the bones to be positioned ({A61B17/6433} , A61B17/66 take precedence) - B23Q 1/5462: {with one supplementary sliding pair} - Y10S 901/19: Drive system for arm - Y10S 901/23: Electric motor - Y10T 74/20305: Robotic arm - Y10T 74/20329: Joint between elements - B23Q: DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING (tools of the kind used in lathes or boring machines B23B27/00); MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A precision tripod motion system is provided. The tripod motion system in one example includes a bottom plate including three spaced-apart bottom single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) hinge portions, a top plate including three spaced-apart top three-degrees-of-freedom (TDOF) joint portions, with the top plate configured to receive a workpiece, three linear actuators pivotally coupled to the three bottom SDOF hinge portions of the bottom plate and coupled to the three top TDOF joint portions of the top plate, with each linear actuator of the three linear actuators configured to change length over a linear actuation span, and a rotator component and/or a positioning table affixed to the top plate and the bottom plate. The tripod motion system is additionally coupled to a rotator component and a positioning table to provide six degrees of freedom of motion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A tripod motion system, comprising: a bottom plate including three spaced-apart single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) hinge portions; a top plate including three spaced-apart top three-degree-of-freedom (TDOF) joint portions, with the top plate configured to receive a workpiece; and three linear actuators pivotally coupled to the three bottom SDOF hinge portions of the bottom plate and coupled to the three top TDOF joint portions of the top plate, with each linear actuator of the three linear actuators configured to change length over a linear actuation span, wherein the three linear actuators return the top plate to a predetermined set position after being displaced by an external force; and a rotator component affixed to one of the top plate or the bottom plate, with the rotator component configured to rotate about a Z-axis of the tripod motion system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The tripod motion system of claim 1, with the three linear actuators and the rotator component providing four degrees of freedom of movement. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The tripod motion system of claim 1, further comprising a positioning table affixed to one of the bottom plate or the top plate, with the positioning table configured to move linearly with respect to an X-axis and move linearly with respect to a Y-axis, and with the three linear actuators, the rotator component, and the positioning table providing six degrees of freedom of movement. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The tripod motion system of claim 1, wherein the tripod motion system is configured to achieve a sub-micron positioning accuracy. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The tripod motion system of claim 1, with a top TDOF joint portion of a linear actuator and with a top TDOF joint portion of the top plate comprising a ball joint and with a bottom SDOF hinge portion of the bottom plate including a pivot pin and with a bottom SDOF hinge portion of a linear actuator interacting with the pivot pin, wherein the linear actuator can pivot in a SDOF motion on the pivot pin. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The tripod motion system of claim 1, with a linear actuator of the three linear actuators comprising: a positioning actuator configured to extend or retract the linear actuator to a predetermined set position; and one or more displacing actuators configured to boost the positioning actuator force and hold the linear actuator at the predetermined set position, with the one or more displacing actuators of a linear actuator providing a majority of a displacement force generated by the linear actuator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The tripod motion system of claim 1, with a linear actuator of the three linear actuators comprising: an electric positioning actuator configured to extend or retract the linear actuator to a predetermined set position; and one or more pneumatic displacing actuators configured to boost the positioning actuator and hold the linear actuator at the predetermined set position, with the one or more displacing actuators of a linear actuator providing a majority of a displacement force generated by the linear actuator. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The tripod motion system of claim 7, further comprising a pressure regulator that supplies a substantially fixed pneumatic pressure to the one or more displacing actuators. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The tripod motion system of claim 7, further comprising a controllable pressure regulator that supplies a controllable pneumatic pressure to the one or more displacing actuators. ### Claim 10 A tripod motion system, comprising: a bottom plate including three spaced-apart single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) hinge portions; a top plate including three spaced-apart top three-degree-of-freedom (TDOF) joint portions, with the top plate configured to receive a workpiece; and three linear actuators pivotally coupled to the three bottom SDOF hinge portions of the bottom plate and coupled to the three top TDOF joint portions of the top plate, with each linear actuator of the three linear actuators configured to change length over a linear actuation span, wherein the three linear actuators return the top plate to a predetermined set position after being displaced by an external force; and a positioning table affixed to one of the bottom plate or the top plate, with the positioning table configured to move linearly with respect to an X-axis and move linearly with respect to a Y-axis. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The tripod motion system of claim 10, with the three linear actuators and the positioning table providing five degrees of freedom of movement. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The tripod motion system of claim 10, further comprising a rotator component affixed to one of the top plate or the bottom plate, with the rotator component configured to rotate about a Z-axis of the tripod motion system, and with the three linear actuators, the positioning table, and the rotator component providing six degrees of freedom of movement. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The tripod motion system of claim 10, wherein the tripod motion system is configured to achieve a sub-micron positioning accuracy. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The tripod motion system of claim 10, with a top TDOF joint portion of a linear actuator and with a top TDOF joint portion of the top plate comprising a ball joint and with a bottom SDOF hinge portion of the bottom plate including a pivot pin and with a bottom SDOF hinge portion of a linear actuator interacting with the pivot pin, wherein the linear actuator can pivot in a SDOF motion on the pivot pin. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The tripod motion system of claim 10, with a linear actuator of the three linear actuators comprising: a positioning actuator configured to extend or retract the linear actuator to a predetermined set position; and one or more displacing actuators configured to boost the positioning actuator force and hold the linear actuator at the predetermined set position, with the one or more displacing actuators of a linear actuator providing a majority of a displacement force generated by the linear actuator. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The tripod motion system of claim 10, with a linear actuator of the three linear actuators comprising: an electric positioning actuator configured to extend or retract the linear actuator to a predetermined set position; and one or more pneumatic displacing actuators configured to boost the positioning actuator and hold the linear actuator at the predetermined set position, with the one or more displacing actuators of a linear actuator providing a majority of a displacement force generated by the linear actuator. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The tripod motion system of claim 16, further comprising a pressure regulator that supplies a substantially fixed pneumatic pressure to the one or more displacing actuators. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The tripod motion system of claim 16, further comprising a controllable pressure regulator that supplies a controllable pneumatic pressure to the one or more displacing actuators. ### Claim 19 An actuation method for a tripod motion system with six degrees of freedom, comprising: in the tripod motion system, receiving a predetermined set position to be achieved by the tripod motion system, with the predetermined set position including three set positions for three linear actuators of the tripod motion system; in the tripod motion system, moving a positioning actuator of a linear actuator substantially to the corresponding predetermined set position, with each linear actuator of the three linear actuators being coupled to a bottom single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) hinge on a bottom plate of the tripod motion system and being further coupled to a top three-degrees-of-freedom (TDOF) joint on a top plate of the tripod motion system; in the tripod motion system, moving one or more displacing actuators of the linear actuator to boost the linear actuator and to hold the linear actuator at the predetermined set position, with the one or more displacing actuators of the linear actuator providing a majority of a displacement force generated by the linear actuator; in the tripod motion system, rotating a rotator component affixed to the top plate, wherein the rotator component is adapted to receive and rotate a workpiece about a Z-axis of the tripod motion system; and in the tripod motion system, translating a positioning table along one or both of an X-axis and a Y-axis, wherein the bottom plate is affixed to and moved by the positioning table. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The actuation method of claim 19, with the three linear actuators, the rotator component, and the positioning table providing six degrees of freedom of movement.