Backlash-Like Hysteresis Estimation in Antagonistic Tendon-Sheath Mechanisms Using Proximal-Force Plateau Signatures

초록

Tendon-sheath mechanisms (TSMs) enable remote actuation through long, curved routings, but reversal induces backlash-like hysteresis and a deadband that degrades positioning accuracy. In antagonistic TSM pairs, this deadband is not a fixed kinematic offset; it arises from a direction-dependent deformation imbalance whose magnitude varies with routing geometry and must be reconfigured after reversal. This paper formulates reversal deadband as a deformation-state transition and proposes a proximal-force-based criterion to identify transition completion from proximal force only. A key implication of the deformation-state model is that, after completion, the proximal force-input relation enters an engaged regime with near-zero incremental slope, yielding a distinct force plateau. By detecting plateau onset, the deadband width is estimated without distal sensing. Experiments under two representative routing configurations with matched total cumulated curve angle but different geometry demonstrate consistent deadband tracking from proximal measurements.

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