Engineering topics

Kerley, James

Publications and source records attributed to Kerley, James.

5 records

NASA NTRS1994

Multiple-Segment Climbing Robots

Multiple-segment climbing robots developed to perform such tasks as inspection, sandblasting, welding, and painting on towers and other structures. Look and move like caterpillars. Video camera mounted on one of segments rotated to desired viewing angle. Used in remote inspection of structure, to view motion of robot and/or provides video feedback for control of motion, and/or to guide operation of head mounted on foremost segment with motorized actuators.

Kerley, James↗

NASA NTRS1993

Book Holder And Page Turner For The Elderly And Handicapped

Device holds reading matter and facilitates page turning for person not having use of arms and hands. Accommodates variety of publication formats, whether book, magazine, or newspaper. Holder sits on hospital-bed table and adjusted to convenient viewing angle. Includes flat upright back support for reading matter, hinged base, and main bracket with bent-wire page holders. Top support on back extended for such large items as newspapers. Wings on back support extended for oversize materials. Reader turns page by gripping special rod via mouthpiece, applying friction cup at its tip to page, and manipulating rod. Mouthpiece wide and tapered so user grips with teeth and uses jaws to move it, rather than using tongue or lips. Helpful to older people, whose facial and mouth muscles weak.

Kerley, James↗

NASA NTRS1992

Joystick With Cable Springs Offers Better Feel

Improved joystick allows motion in 6 degrees of freedom, biased toward central position and orientation by 16 segments of cable serving as springs. Improvement in feel and control results from nonlinear compliance of cable-spring assembly. Nonlinear variations accommodate natural reactions of hand and brain. Operator functions as part of feedback control loop. More comfortable, increases ability to exert control and reduces fatigue.

Kerley, James↗

NASA NTRS1992

Variable-Compliance Couplings For Heavy Lifting

New coupling devices contain manual or electronically controlled, motorized drives that vary stiffnesses. Short, clamped lengths of cable provide compliance. Using threaded rods, cables stretched, relaxed, or folded to make coupling more or less stiff. In more-advanced device, brackets holding cables moved by stepping motor via gearbox and ball screw. Motor operates under computer control with position feedback. Control computer commands greater stiffness during operations requiring precise positioning, and greater compliance to accommodate manufacturing tolerances. Intended for use in wrist joints of robotic manipulators and other industrial equipment that must lift heavy objects.

Kerley, James↗

NASA NTRS1987

Flexible Coupling With Centering Device

Misaligned machine shafts operating at low speeds coupled with cheap, simple mechanism made in part from wire rope. Wire rope bends to accommodate angular and lateral misalignments and dampens vibrations that accompany, or caused by, rotation of shafts.

Kerley, James↗