Dynamic Performance of a Magnetic Levitation Haptic Device

Abstract

A new haptic interface device has been developed which uses Lorentz force magnetic levitation for actuation. With this device, the user grasps a floating rigid body to interact with the system. The levitated moving part grasped by the user contains curved oval wound coils and LEDs embedded in a hemispherical shell with a handle fixed at its center. The stationary base contains magnet assemblies facing the flotor coils and optical position sensors facing the flotor LEDs. The device is mounted in the top cover of a desk-side cabinet enclosure containing all the amplifiers, control hardware, microprocessing, and power supplies needed for operation. A network connection provides communication with a workstation to allow interaction with simulated 3D environments in real time. Ideally, the haptic interface device should reproduce the dynamics of the modelled or remote environment with such high fidelity that the user cannot distinguish interaction with the device from interaction with a real object in a real environment. In practice, this ideal can only be approached with a fidelity that depends on its dynamic properties such as position and force bandwidths, maximum forces and accelerations, position resolution, and realizable impedance range. The motion range of the moving part is approximately 25 mm and 15 - 20 degrees in all directions. A current of 0.75 A is required in three of the six coils to generate the vertical force to lift the 850 g levitated mass, dissipating only 13.5 W. Peak forces of over 50 N and torques of over 6 Nm are achievable with the present amplifiers without overheating the actuator coils. Other measured performance results include stiffness ranges from 0.005 N/mm to 25.0 N/mm and a position control bandwidth of approximately 75 Hz.