Geometric Analysis of a Dual Clutch Lever-Based Electromechanical Actuator with Application to Actuator Dynamics Modelling

This paper presents a practical and straightforward method of identifying geometry parameters of a cam-like lever-based electromechanical dual-clutch actuator, with application to actuator dynamics model parameterization. The lever-based actuator resembles a cam mechanism in that a movable roller fulcrum, driven by an electromotor through a ball-screw, drives the lever by direct contact along the lever profile. This necessitates the identification of the lever profile geometry in order to accurately model the mechanism dynamics. The identification method is based on the measured basic lever mechanism dimensions, experimentally recorded input-output response of the lever mechanism during unloaded operation, observed geometric constraints satisfied during operation, and common CAD software tools to conduct a CAD-based mechanism synthesis and position analysis. First, the geometry, i.e. shape, of the lever profile in contact with the roller fulcrum is determined by means of kinematic inversion. Next, the geometric parameters of the mechanism motion are determined by geometric analysis. Finally, the method is validated after incorporating results into the overall dynamics model of the electromechanical actuator. Experimental validation confirms the effectiveness of the proposed parameter identification method.