A dynamic modeling method is presented for spatial elastic manipulators that can account for a number of their realistic properties, including bearing clearances, actuator dynamics, and control system characteristics. Forces in the bearing clearances are modeled by nonlinear functions of the links’ relative motions and the internal geometry of the connection, or by experimentally measured properties. A detailed model is given for a revolute connection with radial and axial clearances. Results obtained for a SCARA manipulator show that the combined dynamic effects of bearing clearances, link elasticity, and control system characteristics can significantly degrade the system’s performance.

Feasibility of a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system with pile heat exchangers for use in houses is evaluated through a numerical simulation. This GSHP system differs from ordinary borehole-type GSHP systems because short foundation piles installed at close intervals are used as heat exchangers. It is shown that the annual heat supply provided by this GSHP system is able to satisfy the demand of a house due to the air-source exchange at ground surface.

No abstract

Dynamic analysis and control for accurate magnetic disk head positioning using a compact double-carriage rotary actuator is presented. Rolling mode vibration, due to a small dynamic imbalance in the head arm carriage, is one of the major factors in positioning servo instability. To avoid such vibration, structural symmetry should be maintained along the actuator pivot axis. Vibration interaction in the double-carriage rotary actuator is also clarified by mathematical modeling of a disk drive. The positioning error due to the interaction is reduced by one-third to the submicron order, even during very high-speed accessing, by a cross-feedforward decoupling control using a precompensator based on the model.

A ground source heat pump (GSHP) system has higher cooling and heating performances than an air source heat pump system, so the GSHP system has attracted attention in the cold regions. Particularly after the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, which damaged nuclear power plants, the GSHP utilizing renewable energy, has become attractive in heating system in the Tohoku region. However, it is necessary to install wells to collect ground source heat, and so, together with the cost of the heat pump itself, the installation cost is a barrier to widespread adoption of this technology in Japan. On the other hand, due to poor subsoil, foundation piles are often required in the construction of buildings in Japan. By using foundation piles as heat exchangers, which are commonly used in residential construction, the cost of using GSHP systems in houses may be reduced. However, since the placement of the piles depends on the floor layout of the residence, that is arbitrary sequence. Moreover, an arbitrary floor layout requires a complicated multi-dimensional numerical analysis to design the GSHP, and the analysis is burdensome for general designers. Therefore, the use of the model unit of the two-dimensional cylindrical heat exchange well is proposed. The use of this model, which includes an unused volume of soil, reduces the analysis burden for general design tools. On experience, the arrangement rate is 4 m2 per pile, and the well separation is narrow. And the foundation piles will form a group. So thermal interference between heat exchanger wells might be working hard. In addition, the foundation piles are very short, compared to the traditional borehole depth of 50 to 100 m. Therefore, the thermal performance of the well may degrade compared to that of the traditional GSHP system, although the initial costs are less. Therefore, we examined a GSHP system with heat exchanger piles by using the heat exchange well unit model for residences in the Tohoku region. As a result, the two-dimensional analysis and more is needed to predict the thermal performances of the heat exchanger piles so that the effect of the pitch of the heat exchange wells on the heat transfer in the axial direction will be large. In cold climates, the heating demand is large and, in the summer, the amount of waste heat to the ground is small, so a large amount of heat penetration into the ground from the atmospheric air is important for continuous GSHP operation in the Tohoku region, and in Fukushima Prefecture in particular.