SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL
The joint actuator for the robot has the characteristics of low assembly difficulty, low machining precision requirement and low cost.
In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure provides a joint actuator for a robot, the joint actuator including: an outer housing comprising a shell and a first end cap, the shell comprising an inner hollow shaft shell and an outer hollow shaft shell coupled together, the inner hollow shaft shell and the outer hollow shaft shell being coaxially disposed and defining a central axis of the shell, the shell having a first end and a second end opposite each other along the central axis, the first end cap being coupled to the first end of the shell and defining a central shaft aperture; a motor disposed between the inner hollow shaft housing and the outer hollow shaft housing and including a rotor and a stator, the stator being fixed to the inner hollow shaft housing, the rotor being connected to an output bracket disposed at the first end of the housing and provided with an output shaft sleeve, the output shaft sleeve being fitted with a first bearing and supported in the central shaft hole by the first bearing; the planetary reduction mechanism comprises a planetary gear train, a sun gear shaft, a retainer and an inner gear ring, the planetary gear train comprises a sun gear, a planet gear and a planet carrier, the sun gear is fixed on the sun gear shaft, the sun gear shaft is fixed in the output shaft sleeve, the planet gear is arranged on the planet carrier and is engaged in the inner gear ring, the inner gear ring is fixed on the inner hollow shaft shell, the retainer is fixed on the planet carrier, and the retainer is supported on the inner hollow shaft shell through a second bearing; and an output flange disposed at the second end of the housing and supported by the inner hollow shaft housing through a third bearing, the planet carrier being fixed to the output flange.
Optionally, the inner hollow shaft housing is formed with a stopping step surface, the holder is formed with an annular stopping table, the second bearing is sleeved on the holder, one end of the second bearing abuts against the stopping step surface, and the other end of the second bearing abuts against the annular stopping table.
Optionally, a plurality of cylindrical pins are integrally arranged on the outer circumference of the ring gear, a plurality of open slots are correspondingly arranged on the inner hollow shaft shell, the cylindrical pins are accommodated in the open slots to limit the ring gear to rotate relative to the inner hollow shaft shell, and the ring gear passes through the second bearing stop to keep the cylindrical pins in the open slots
Optionally, the planet carrier is integrally formed with the output flange and is configured as a cylindrical boss formed on an inner side surface of the output flange, the planet wheel is fixed on the cylindrical boss through a fourth bearing, and the cage is connected to the cylindrical boss through a fastener.
Optionally, a connecting boss is formed on the side face, facing the output flange, of the retainer, a connecting column is formed on the inner side face of the output flange, the connecting boss is provided with a connecting hole, the connecting column is inserted into the connecting hole, and the retainer is connected to the connecting column through a fastener.
Optionally, the sun gear shaft is integrally formed with the sun gear, and the sun gear shaft is fixed in the output shaft sleeve in an interference fit manner.
Optionally, the sun gear shaft is provided with a stepped shaft portion, the stepped shaft portion includes a large-diameter section and a small-diameter section, the central hole of the output flange is configured as a stepped hole, a stepped surface is formed between the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion of the stepped hole, the small-diameter section is sleeved with a fifth bearing, the fifth bearing is accommodated in the large-diameter portion, a first elastic sheet is arranged between the stepped surface and the fifth bearing and/or between the large-diameter section and the fifth bearing, and the large-diameter section abuts against the outer end surface of the output shaft sleeve.
Optionally, the output flange includes a disk body and a radial outer flange formed at an outer end of the disk body, the inner hollow shaft housing is formed with a radial inner flange, the third bearing is sleeved on the disk body, an outer end of an outer ring of the third bearing passes through the radial inner flange, an inner end of the outer ring of the third bearing passes through the inner gear ring, and a second elastic sheet is disposed between an outer end of an inner ring of the third bearing and the radial outer flange.
Optionally, the joint actuator comprises a motor driver including a control module electrically connected to the stator and a second end cap provided with a receiving cavity in which the control module is disposed, and the second end cap is connected to the first end cap and closes the receiving cavity by the first end cap.
On the basis of the technical scheme, the disclosure further provides a robot, and the robot is provided with the joint actuator for the robot.
Through the technical scheme, when the joint actuator for the robot provided by the disclosure works, the rotor of the motor drives the output support connected with the rotor to rotate, the torque is input from the first end, the torque is transmitted to the output flange through the sun gear, the planet gear and the inner gear ring and is output through the output flange, wherein on a torque transmission path, the output support is supported on the first end cover through the first bearing, the output flange is fixed with the retainer so as to be supported on the inner hollow shaft shell of the shell through the second bearing, therefore, the torque can be stably and reliably transmitted through the first bearing and the second bearing, and the structure that the first bearing and the second bearing support different components can reduce the requirement on the coaxiality of the first bearing and the second bearing, thereby reducing the assembly difficulty of the components such as the output support, the retainer, the output flange and the like and reducing the processing precision requirement of related components, the manufacturing cost of the joint actuator is reduced. In addition, the rotor of the motor is arranged between the inner hollow shaft shell and the outer hollow shaft shell, and the torque transmission path is positioned in the inner hollow shaft shell, so that the magnetic torque radius of the motor is larger, and the torque density is favorably improved. In addition, in the joint actuator provided by the disclosure, the compact layout mode of the shell, the motor, the planetary reduction mechanism and the output flange can improve the utilization rate of space, and is suitable for a miniaturized robot.
Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.
Drawings
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the disclosure without limiting the disclosure. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a joint actuator provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a joint actuator provided by embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a joint actuator provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cage of a joint actuator provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an output flange of a joint actuator provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of an output flange of a joint actuator provided by embodiments of the present disclosure.
Description of the reference numerals
11-a first end cover, 12-a PCB, 13-a second end cover, 14-an external interface, 15-an encoder and 16-an encoder magnet;
21-shell, 211-inner hollow shaft shell, 212-outer hollow shaft shell, 213-first end, 214-second end, 22-rotor, 221-output support, 222-output shaft sleeve, 23-stator, 24-first bearing, 25-coil, 26-wire protecting plate;
31-sun wheel shaft, 311-large diameter section, 312-small diameter section, 32-retainer, 321-connecting boss, 322-connecting hole, 33-second bearing, 34-planet wheel, 35-inner gear ring, 351-cylindrical pin, 36-fourth bearing, 37-sun wheel, 38-fifth bearing and 39-third bearing;
41-output flange, 411-cylindrical boss, 412-connecting column, 413-connecting pin hole and 414-threaded connecting hole;
51-fastener, 52-first elastic sheet, 53-second elastic sheet.
Detailed Description
The following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the present disclosure, are given by way of illustration and explanation only, not limitation.
In the present disclosure, the use of directional terms such as "inner and outer" means "inner and outer" with respect to the corresponding profile of the component itself, unless otherwise specified. In addition, the terms "first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc. used in the present disclosure are intended to distinguish one element from another, and have no order or importance. Furthermore, in the following description, when referring to the figures, the same reference numbers in different figures denote the same or similar elements, unless otherwise explained. The foregoing definitions are provided to illustrate and describe the present disclosure only and should not be construed to limit the present disclosure.
According to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to fig. 1 to 6, there is provided a joint actuator for a robot, the joint actuator including: a housing including a housing body 21 and a first end cap 11, the housing body 21 including an inner hollow shaft shell 211 and an outer hollow shaft shell 212 coupled together, the inner hollow shaft shell 211 and the outer hollow shaft shell 212 being coaxially disposed and defining a central axis of the housing body 21, the housing body 21 having a first end 213 and a second end 214 opposite to each other along the central axis, the first end cap 11 being coupled to the first end 213 of the housing body 21, and the first end cap 11 having a central shaft hole; a motor disposed between the inner hollow shaft housing 211 and the outer hollow shaft housing 212, and including a rotor 22 and a stator 23, the stator 23 being fixed to the inner hollow shaft housing 211, the rotor 22 being connected to an output bracket 221, the output bracket 221 being disposed at the first end 213 of the housing 21 and being provided with an output bushing 222, the output bushing 222 being sleeved with a first bearing 24 and supported in the central shaft hole by the first bearing 24; a planetary reduction mechanism including a planetary gear train including a sun gear 37, planetary gears 34 and a carrier, a sun gear shaft 31, a holder 32 and an inner ring gear 35, the sun gear 37 being fixed to the sun gear shaft 31, the sun gear shaft 31 being fixed to the output sleeve 222, the planetary gears 34 being provided in the carrier, and the planetary gears 34 being engaged in the inner ring gear 35, the inner ring gear 35 being fixed to the inner hollow shaft housing 211, the holder 32 being fixed to the carrier, and the holder 32 being supported by the inner hollow shaft housing 211 through a second bearing 33; and an output flange 41, the output flange 41 being disposed at the second end 214 of the housing 21 and supported by the inner hollow shaft case 211 via a third bearing 39, the carrier being fixed to the output flange 41.
Through the technical scheme, when the joint actuator for the robot provided by the disclosure works, the rotor 22 of the motor drives the output support 221 connected with the rotor 22 to rotate, the torque is input from the first end 213, and is transmitted to the output flange 41 through the sun gear 37, the planet gear 34 and the inner gear ring 35 and is output through the output flange 41, wherein on a torque transmission path, the output support 221 is supported on the first end cover 11 through the first bearing 24, the output flange 41 is fixed with the retainer 32 and can be supported on the inner hollow shaft shell 211 of the shell 21 through the second bearing 33, therefore, the torque can be stably and reliably transmitted through the first bearing 24 and the second bearing 33, and the first bearing 24 and the second bearing 33 support different components, so that the requirement on the coaxiality of the first bearing 24 and the second bearing 33 can be reduced, and therefore, the output support 221 can be reduced, The assembly difficulty of the components such as the retainer 32, the output flange 41 and the like reduces the machining precision requirement of the related components, and reduces the manufacturing cost of the joint actuator. In addition, the rotor 22 of the motor is disposed between the inner hollow shaft housing 211 and the outer hollow shaft housing 212, and the torque transmission path is located in the inner hollow shaft housing 211, so that the magnetic torque radius of the motor is large, which is advantageous for improving the torque density. In addition, in the joint actuator provided by the present disclosure, such a compact layout of the housing, the motor, the planetary reduction mechanism, and the output flange 41 can improve the utilization rate of space, and is suitable for a miniaturized robot.
The first end cover 11 has a central shaft hole, and the output shaft sleeve 222 is sleeved with the first bearing 24 and supported in the central shaft hole through the first bearing 24. The output shaft sleeve 222 is formed with a stop surface, the first end cover 11 is formed with a radial inner flange, the inner end of the outer ring of the first bearing 24 is stopped by the radial inner flange of the first end cover 11, and the outer end of the inner ring of the first bearing 24 is stopped by the stop surface. It should be understood that the terms "inner" and "outer" in the "inner end" and "outer end" are defined relative to the position of the housing 21, with the orientation near the first end 213 of the housing 21 being "inner" and vice versa.
In the specific embodiment provided by the present disclosure, in order to prevent the second bearing 33 from moving in the direction along the central axis of the housing 21, the inner hollow shaft housing 211 is formed with a stop step surface, the holder 32 is formed with an annular stop table, the second bearing 33 is sleeved on the holder 32, one end of the second bearing 33 abuts against the stop step surface, and the other end of the second bearing 33 abuts against the annular stop table, so as to limit the second bearing 33 in the direction along the central axis of the housing 21, so that the second bearing 33 can bear a large axial load, thereby prolonging the service life of the second bearing 33.
In the embodiments provided by the present disclosure, ring gear 35 may be secured to inner hollow shaft housing 211 in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, the outer circumference of the ring gear 35 may be integrally provided with a plurality of cylindrical pins 351, the inner hollow shaft housing 211 is correspondingly provided with a plurality of open grooves, the cylindrical pins 351 are received in the open grooves to limit the rotation of the ring gear 35 relative to the inner hollow shaft housing 211, and the ring gear 35 is stopped by the second bearing 33 to hold the cylindrical pins 351 in the open grooves to prevent the ring gear 35 from moving in a direction along the central axis of the housing 21 to be separated from the inner hollow shaft housing 211. In another embodiment, the outer circumference of the ring gear 35 may be integrally provided with a plurality of stoppers, the inner hollow shaft housing 211 is correspondingly provided with a plurality of stopper grooves, the stoppers are received in the stopper grooves to restrict the ring gear 35 from rotating relative to the inner hollow shaft housing 211, and the ring gear 35 is stopped by the second bearing 33 to be held in the stopper grooves.
In the specific embodiment provided by the present disclosure, the carrier may be fixed to the output flange 41 in a suitable manner. In one embodiment, and with reference to the illustration in fig. 3, the planet carrier may be integrally formed with the output flange 41 and configured as a cylindrical boss 411 formed on the inner side of the output flange 41, the planet wheels 34 being fixed to the cylindrical boss 411 by the fourth bearing 36, and the cage 32 being connected to the cylindrical boss 411 by fasteners 51. The planetary gear train may include a plurality of planetary gears 34, a plurality of cylindrical bosses 411 are correspondingly formed on an inner side surface of the output flange 41, for example, as shown in fig. 2, 3 and 5, the planetary gear train includes three planetary gears 34, three cylindrical bosses 411 are correspondingly formed on an inner side surface of the output flange 41, each planetary gear 34 is fixed on the corresponding cylindrical boss 411 through a fourth bearing 36, and is integrally formed on the output flange 41 through the three cylindrical bosses 411, so as to improve the installation accuracy of the planetary gears 34. Wherein each cylindrical boss 411 is provided with a central hole configured as a threaded hole, into which a fastener 51 is fastened through the holder 32 to fixedly connect the holder 32 to the output flange 41. In addition, the through hole provided in the holder 32, through which the fastening member 51 passes, is configured as a counter bore into which the head of the fastening member 51 can be sunk to avoid interference of the fastening member 51 with other parts. It should be noted that the term "inner" in the "inner side of the output flange 41" is defined with respect to the position of the housing 21, and the orientation near the first end 213 of the housing 21 is "inner" and vice versa.
As shown in fig. 6, the output flange 41 is provided at an outer side thereof with a plurality of coupling pin holes 413 and a plurality of screw coupling holes 414 to be coupled to a load so that the output flange 41 transmits power to the load to rotate the load. It is to be construed that the term "outer" in the "outer side" is defined with respect to the position of the housing 21, with the orientation of the first end 213 facing away from the housing 21 being "outer" and vice versa "inner".
In the particular embodiments provided by the present disclosure, to increase the contact area of the cage 32 with the output flange 41, the cage 32 may be configured in any suitable manner. Referring to fig. 4 and 5, a connecting boss 321 may be formed on a side surface of the holder 32 facing the output flange 41, a connecting column 412 is formed on an inner side surface of the output flange 41, the connecting boss 321 is provided with a connecting hole 322, and the connecting column 412 is inserted into the connecting hole 322 to increase a contact area between the holder 32 and the output flange 41, so as to prevent the output flange 41 from driving the holder 32 to rotate to generate stress concentration, thereby improving service lives of the output flange 41 and the holder 32. And, the holder 32 is connected to the connection column 412 by a fastening member 51 to improve the connection stability between the holder 32 and the output flange 41. For example, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, three connecting bosses 321 are formed on the side of the holder 32 facing the output flange 41, three connecting posts 412 are correspondingly formed on the inner side of the output flange 41, each connecting boss 321 is provided with one connecting hole 322, each connecting post 412 is inserted into the corresponding connecting hole 322, and the holder 32 is connected with the connecting hole 322 through a fastener 51. It should be noted that the term "inner" in the "inner side of the output flange 41" is defined with respect to the position of the housing 21, and the orientation near the first end 213 of the housing 21 is "inner" and vice versa.
In the embodiment provided by the present disclosure, the sun gear shaft 31 and the sun gear 37 are integrally formed to improve the coaxiality of the sun gear shaft 31 and the sun gear 37, and the sun gear shaft 31 is fixed in the output shaft sleeve 222 in an interference fit manner, so that the output bracket 221 connected with the rotor 22 drives the sun gear shaft 31 to rotate when the rotor 22 rotates, thereby realizing power transmission. In some embodiments, the sun gear shaft 31 may be fixedly connected to the output shaft sleeve 222 through a key connection or a spline connection to limit the rotation of the sun gear shaft 31 relative to the output shaft sleeve 222, and both ends of the output shaft sleeve 222 are provided with a limit structure, and the limit structure stops to limit the displacement of the output shaft sleeve 222 relative to the sun gear shaft 31 in the axial direction to prevent the output shaft sleeve 222 from being separated from the sun gear shaft 31.
Wherein, the sun gear shaft 31 is provided with a step shaft portion, the step shaft portion comprises a large diameter section 311 and a small diameter section 312, the central hole of the output flange 41 is configured as a step hole, a step surface is formed between the large diameter section and the small diameter section of the step hole, the small diameter section 312 is sleeved with a fifth bearing 38, the fifth bearing 38 is accommodated in the large diameter section, a first elastic sheet 52 is arranged between the step surface and the fifth bearing 38 and/or between the large diameter section 311 and the fifth bearing 38, and the large diameter section 311 abuts against the outer end surface of the output shaft sleeve 222. The fifth bearing 38 can be pre-tightened by the first elastic piece 52, so that the fifth bearing 38 is prevented from loosening and shifting, and the first elastic piece 52 can absorb vibration generated when the output flange 41 rotates, so that abrasion to other parts is reduced, and noise is reduced. It should be noted that the term "outer" in the "outer end face" is defined with respect to the position of the housing 21, and the term "outer" in the orientation of the first end 213 facing away from the housing 21 is defined as "outer" and "inner" in the opposite direction.
In the specific embodiment provided by the present disclosure, the output flange 41 includes a disk body and a radial outer flange formed at an outer end of the disk body, the inner hollow shaft housing 211 is formed with a radial inner flange, the third bearing 39 is sleeved on the disk body, an outer end of an outer ring of the third bearing 39 is stopped by the radial inner flange, an inner end of the outer ring of the third bearing 39 is stopped by the inner ring gear 35, and a second elastic sheet 53 is provided between an outer end of an inner ring of the third bearing 39 and the radial outer flange to pre-tighten the third bearing 39 and further absorb vibration generated when the output flange 41 rotates, thereby reducing abrasion to other parts and reducing noise.
In the using process, if the robot has a rigid collision with the environment, the first elastic sheet 52 and the second elastic sheet 53 can also absorb a part of energy to play a certain role in buffering, so as to reduce the impact force during collision and reduce the risk of damage to some related parts in the joint actuator.
In the specific embodiment provided by the present disclosure, the joint actuator comprises a motor driver including a control module electrically connected to the stator 23 and a second end cap 13, the second end cap 13 being provided with a receiving cavity in which the control module is disposed, and the second end cap 13 being connected to the first end cap 11 and closing the receiving cavity by the first end cap 11. Wherein the control module comprises a PCB board 12, the PCB board 12 being arranged between the first end cap 11 and the second end cap 13, the second end cap 13 being connectable to the first end cap 11 by means of fasteners 51 for connecting the motor drive to the housing 21.
Wherein, both sides end of PCB board 12 is provided with an external interface 14 respectively, and external power supplies power to PCB board 12 through this external interface 14, and the coil 25 of stator 23 is supplied power by the three-phase power line in PCB board 12 again to make stator 23 produce the change magnetic field, thereby make rotor 22 rotate and drive sun gear axle 31 and rotate in order to transmit torque, and control the rotational speed of rotor 22 through PCB board 12, in order to realize the variable speed. In addition, the three-phase power line is wrapped by the wire protecting plate 26, one end of the wire protecting plate 26 is clamped on the first end cover 11, and the other end of the wire protecting plate 26 is clamped on the shell 21, so that the appearance of the joint actuator is more attractive.
In the specific implementation provided in the present disclosure, the joint actuator further includes an encoder 15, and the encoder 15 can detect information such as the rotational angle position of the rotor 22 and the rotational speed of the rotor 22, and then send the information to the PCB 12 for processing to generate a corresponding control command for controlling the output of the motor. Wherein, the encoder 15 includes an encoder magnet 16, and the encoder magnet 16 is fixedly disposed at the end portion of the sun gear shaft 31 close to the first end 213 and rotates with the sun gear shaft 31, so that the encoder 15 can obtain information such as the rotation angle position of the detected rotor 22 and the rotation speed of the rotor 22 by detecting the rotation angle position of the encoder magnet 16 and measuring the rotation speed of the encoder magnet 16, and then send the information to the PCB 12 for processing to generate a corresponding control command for controlling the output of the motor. As an embodiment of the present disclosure, the motor may be configured as a flat brushless outer rotor 22 motor, and the flat brushless outer rotor 22 motor has a flat structure, so that the outer diameter of the rotor 22 is large, and the encoder 15 with a larger code wheel may be used to improve the resolution of the encoder 15, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of the encoder 15, and further improving the precision of the control module to realize flexible control. The joint actuator can determine the output force of the robot limb according to the torque applied to the robot joint and the space displacement of the robot joint measured by the encoder 15, so that a force sensor at the tail end of the limb is replaced, instability caused by an unmodeled mode between the motor driver and a non-collocated sensor is greatly relieved, intelligent sensing of load is achieved, and collision is reduced.
On the basis of the technical scheme, the disclosure also provides a robot, which comprises the joint actuator for the robot, so that the robot also has the characteristics, and the details are not repeated herein to avoid repetition.
The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, however, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments, and various simple modifications may be made to the technical solution of the present disclosure within the technical idea of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all belong to the protection scope of the present disclosure.
It should be noted that, in the foregoing embodiments, various features described in the above embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner, and in order to avoid unnecessary repetition, various combinations that are possible in the present disclosure are not described again.
In addition, any combination of various embodiments of the present disclosure may be made, and the same should be considered as the disclosure of the present disclosure, as long as it does not depart from the spirit of the present disclosure.