A pan-tilt orienting mechanism with parallel axes of flexural actuation

This paper presents the design and prototype of a camera-orienting mechanism. Bioinspired actuators and mechanisms have been developed to pan and tilt a camera with comparable characteristics as a human eye. To meet the stringent space/weight requirement of robotic applications, a compact-orienting mechanism is proposed. We specifically aim at matching the size of a human eye. Through the arrangement of two parallel placed actuators and flexible mechanisms, nearly uncoupled pan and tilt motions can be provided in a streamlined space. The flexible mechanisms utilize the deflection of beams to replace the kinematic joints; thus, they have fewer parts and can be easily adapted to a small and irregular design space. The optimal mechanism configuration has linear input-output relation that makes driving electronics very direct. Through verification and prototype illustration, the novel orienting mechanism is expected to serve as an alternative for robotic vision applications.