Application of Pressure Control Type Quasi-Servo Valve to Force Control System

Today, the aged people are rapidly increasing and the number of children is decreasing in Japan. This social problem causes the demand of the care and welfare equipments to support a nursing and a self-reliance for the senior. For example, a power assist device for reducing the burden of the user has been researched and developed. The purpose of this study is to develop a small and light-weight pneumatic control valve and to apply it to the care and welfare equipments. In our previous study, the small-sized quasi-servo valve using two inexpensive on/off valves was developed and tested. The pressure control type quasi-servo valve was also proposed and tested by using the quasi-servo valve, a pressure sensor and an embedded controller. In this paper, the pressure control type quasi-servo valve is applied to a force control of the pneumatic cylinder, and its control performance is investigated.