US20180319012A1 - Arm using a two-joint module - Google Patents
Arm using a two-joint module Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20180319012A1 US20180319012A1 US16/035,182 US201816035182A US2018319012A1 US 20180319012 A1 US20180319012 A1 US 20180319012A1 US 201816035182 A US201816035182 A US 201816035182A US 2018319012 A1 US2018319012 A1 US 2018319012A1
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- Prior art keywords
- module
- housing
- rotary actuator
- link
- robotic arm
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 47
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 47
- 210000000707 wrist Anatomy 0.000 claims description 23
- 210000001503 joint Anatomy 0.000 description 13
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 11
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 10
- 230000017525 heat dissipation Effects 0.000 description 6
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000002360 explosive Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000020169 heat generation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000011900 installation process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 210000003857 wrist joint Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- 230000004308 accommodation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003466 anti-cipated effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000012489 doughnuts Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 210000002310 elbow joint Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 238000004880 explosion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010422 painting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 210000000323 shoulder joint Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 238000009423 ventilation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J17/00—Joints
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
- B25J9/10—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements
- B25J9/12—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements electric
- B25J9/126—Rotary actuators
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J18/00—Arms
- B25J18/02—Arms extensible
- B25J18/04—Arms extensible rotatable
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J19/00—Accessories fitted to manipulators, e.g. for monitoring, for viewing; Safety devices combined with or specially adapted for use in connection with manipulators
- B25J19/0025—Means for supplying energy to the end effector
- B25J19/0029—Means for supplying energy to the end effector arranged within the different robot elements
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J19/00—Accessories fitted to manipulators, e.g. for monitoring, for viewing; Safety devices combined with or specially adapted for use in connection with manipulators
- B25J19/0075—Means for protecting the manipulator from its environment or vice versa
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
- B25J9/08—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by modular constructions
Definitions
- This disclosure relates to robotic arms and in particular an arm using a two joint module having two degrees of freedom and having a generally L-shape.
- Two degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) joint modules used in robotic arms are becoming more common due to several advantages such as: compact size, light weight and lower cost. Joint modules are designed to meet certain requirements and constraints and these are transformed into the design specifications. For industrial applications, the requirements of payload range, speed, accuracy, reliability, lifetime, safety, ease of assembly and maintenance are very important.
- the joint module is housed in a ball shape enclosure that contains all the components needed to control the joint: servo motor, encoder, motor drive, harmonic drive, holding brake and hollow shaft for internal cabling.
- the joint module is not sealed as ventilation is needed to dissipate heat generated by the electronic components such as motor, motor drive and brake.
- the module is light weight, compact and is highly integrated. However, this design has limitations.
- the Powerball ERBTM joint module consists of many mechanical and electronic components and this increases the complexity of the structure while also creates a heat dissipation problem. Since all electrical and control components are integrated in the module housing, the heat generated by these components requires a relatively large space to dissipate. However, since this joint is designed to be a compact joint, the power consumed by the electronic components is constrained by the heat that is generated. This in turn limits the output power of the joint module. Hence, the application of this type of joint module in terms of payload range is limited.
- openings or slots are made on the housing. This limits the applications of the joint module under certain harsh industrial environments such as dusty, humid, and explosive environments. These joints could not be used in robot arms for painting, coating and welding. For example; the explosive gases and sparks that may be present in such industrial applications could get into the joint module and cause explosions.
- the Powerball ERBTM can be used to build a robotic arm, LWA-4PTM.
- the LWA-4P arm comprises three Powerball joint modules and two links. Since the joint modules have limitations on heat dissipation and power capped issues, the arm cannot work under some harsh industrial environments and the payload of the arm is limited.
- the joint module includes a module housing and two joints. Also, one of joints has a hollow shaft gearhead, an off-axis drive, a servo motor, and internal cables extending through the hollow shaft gearhead. Since the joint module is designed to connect with a link, it has an active side and a passive side with electronic connectors. The active side is mechanically connected to the link and the electronic connectors of the passive side are operably connected to the link cables.
- the joint is used to build a robotic arm. There are limitations with this design as discussed below.
- the cable routing inside the module is complicated because of the internal structure of the joint module.
- One of joints uses a non-hollow shafted motor and gearhead for providing the torque. Because of the internal structure of the joint, the cables go into one end of the module and inside the module turn 90 degrees and go out the other side of the module. In this case, the cables will be squeezed inside the housing. This may cause large torsional forces on the cables.
- the installation process of rotary actuators and electronic components is complicated because it requires too many assembly steps.
- the two actuator sets are installed inside the housing, with their output shaft facing outside and the motor facing inside of the housing.
- the two actuators will be fixed to the housing wall by bolts and screws.
- To mount the two actuators in the housing the two actuators cannot be put in from outside to inside of the housing. Instead, the actuators must be installed from the inside. So, the entire housing must be dissembled. Once the actuators are installed the housing is reassembled as one piece with screws and bolts. Therefore, the installation process is complicated.
- the joint module housing of Fanuc is not made of one piece.
- the housing box is made of several pieces and these pieces are fixed by screws and bolts to form the housing. So, the structure of the housing is not as strong as the one-piece housing.
- the maintenance process of the joint module is complicated. To access the actuators and other electronic components, a user needs to dissemble the housing case, conduct the maintenance, and resemble the housing once the maintenance is finished.
- the present disclosure relates to a two joint module.
- the two joint module includes a housing and a pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies.
- Each actuator assembly has an axis and a hollow shaft and the axes are arranged at an angle to each other.
- the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies are arranged back to back and attached to the housing such that cables can be fed from the outside of one of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies to the inside thereof and to the inside of the other of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies to the outside thereof.
- the axes of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies may be arranged orthogonally.
- Each hollow rotary actuator assembly may include a brushless DC servo motor having a hollow central portion, an encoder having a hollow central portion, a brake having a hollow central portion and an encoder having a hollow central portion.
- Each hollow rotary actuator assembly may be a combo actuator.
- the housing may include a housing body and a housing cover releasably attachable to the housing body.
- the housing body may include a pair of generally cylindrical compartments for housing the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies.
- the housing body may further include a center compartment between the two generally cylindrical compartments.
- the axes of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies may be arranged at an obtuse angle therebetween.
- the power, speed and torque of the pair of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies may be the same. Alternatively, the power, speed and torque of the pair of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies may be different.
- the two joint module may include a pair of motor drives operably attached to the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies and the motor drives are outside the housing.
- the disclosure also relates to a robotic arm.
- the robotic includes at least two two joint modules wherein each two joint module is as described above and at least a first link.
- the robotic arm may include a third two joint module and a second link, wherein the two joint modules are a shoulder module, an elbow module and a wrist module.
- the shoulder module and the elbow module are operably attached to opposing ends of the first link and the elbow module and the wrist module are attached to opposing ends of the second link.
- the first link may be a shoulder link.
- the shoulder link may include a body and a hollow cover and having a first port and a second port.
- the first port and the second port of the shoulder link are generally in the same plane.
- the second link may be a wrist link.
- the wrist link may have a first and second port that are generally orthogonal to each other.
- the robotic arm may include a motor drive operably attached to each of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies and the motor drives being outside the housing.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a two degree of freedom two joint module which is generally L-shaped;
- FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the housing for the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a front view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module housing of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a hollow rotary actuator assembly having a central axial hole therethrough and for use with the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 5 is a side view of the hollow rotary actuator assembly of FIG. 4 ;
- FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the hollow rotary actuator assembly of FIGS. 4 and 5 ;
- FIG. 7 is a front view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 8 is a side view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module of FIGS. 1 and 7 ;
- FIG. 9 is a top view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module of FIGS. 1, 7 and 8 ;
- FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module of FIGS. 1, 7, 8 and 9 ;
- FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module of FIGS. 1, and 7 to 10 and showing the cable routing;
- FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of an arm using the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module of FIGS. 1 and 7 to 11 ;
- FIG. 13 is a side view of the arm of FIG. 17 shown in a different orientation
- FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the shoulder link shown in the arm of FIGS. 12 and 13 as viewed from one side thereof;
- FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the shoulder link of FIG. 14 but viewed from the other side thereof;
- FIG. 16 is an exploded side view of the elbow link shown in the arm of FIGS. 12 and 13 as viewed from one side thereof;
- FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the elbow link of FIG. 16 ;
- FIG. 18 is a cross section view of the elbow link shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 ;
- FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the L-shaped two joint module shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 to 11 but with different sized hollow rotary actuator assemblies;
- FIG. 20 is a side view of the L-shaped two joint module of FIG. 18 ;
- FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a further alternate embodiment of the L-shaped two joint module shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 to 11 and 18 and 19 but with different sized hollow rotary actuator assemblies, different from those shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 ;
- FIG. 22 is a side view of the L-shaped joint module of FIG. 21 ;
- FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a further alternate embodiment of a two joint module similar to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 to 11 and 19 to 22 but with an obtuse angle between the two hollow rotary actuator assemblies;
- FIG. 24 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of an arm similar to that shown in FIG. 18 but having different sized links.
- FIG. 25 is a top view of an arm using the L-shaped joints of FIGS. 1 and 7 to 11 and 19 to 22 but showing the offset.
- L-shaped two joint module 10 includes a housing 12 , a pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies 14 arranged orthogonally in the housing 12 .
- the housing 12 is composed of two parts: a housing body 16 and a housing corner cover 18 that is releasably attachable to the housing body.
- the housing body 16 contains three compartments: two generally cylindrical compartments 20 and 22 for accommodating the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies 14 which may be turret and shoulder actuators; a center compartment 24 is located in between compartments 20 and 22 and is for accommodating the electronics components.
- Compartments 20 and 22 each have a center axis 26 and 28 respectively. Center axes 26 and 28 are orthogonal to each other.
- the corner cover 18 is detachable from the housing body 16 .
- the housing body 16 includes a flange 36
- FIG. 3 shows the front view of the L-shaped two joint module joint module housing 12 .
- the housing body 16 allows two hollow rotary actuator assemblies 14 to have orthogonal axes by means of compartments 20 and 22 .
- a plurality of holes or apertures 26 are formed in the housing body 16 around the opening to the compartments 20 and 22 to allow the hollow rotary actuator assemblies to be mounted therein with screws.
- Cavity or compartment 20 has a hole 30 on the inside thereof for electronics connection to the hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 (not shown).
- cavity or compartment 22 has a hole 32 on the inside thereof for electronics connection to the hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 (not shown).
- An example of a hollow rotary actuator assembly for use in the L-shaped two joint module 10 is shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 .
- Hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 has a hollow shaft along its central axis.
- Hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 includes a brushless DC servo motor 40 , an encoder 42 , a brake 44 and a gear head 46 .
- the hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 has an output shaft 48 for attaching it to the housing 12 .
- Each of the elements of the hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 is generally donut shaped such that the hollow rotary actuator assembly has a hollow central shaft. More specifically the servo motor 40 has a hollow central portion.
- the encoder 42 is an absolute encoder and has a hollow central portion.
- the brake 44 has a hollow central portion.
- the gear head 46 has a hollow central portion.
- the hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 is a combo actuator and each element is connected together to form a single combo actuator.
- the combo actuator or hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 has the advantages of compact size, and the hollow shaft feature allows cables to be passed therethrough.
- the cross-roll bearing 43 is embedded in the flange 45 as best shown in FIG. 6 .
- the cross-roll bearing 43 is used on the mounting flange 45 to simplify the assembly of the combo actuator 14 , and reduces its weight and size.
- Module 10 includes two hollow rotary actuator assemblies 14 and a joint housing 12 having a housing body 16 and a housing corner cover 18 .
- the joint housing 12 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 .
- the combo actuator 14 has a hollow shaft 50 .
- the axes of the hollow shafts of the two combo actuators 14 are collinear with the center axes 26 and 28 of compartments 20 and 22 of the housing 12 , shown in FIG. 2 .
- a plurality of screw holes 52 are formed in the output shaft 48 of the combo actuator 14 .
- the screws holes 54 are formed in the flange plate.
- the cross-roll bearings 43 form part of the flange plate 45 and the screw holes 54 only go through the flange plate 45 .
- the cross-roller bearing 43 provides support to the output shaft 48 in bending.
- the output shaft 48 provides the output torque.
- Holes 52 are used for connecting the joint module 10 to a robot arm link 102 as described below in relation to FIGS. 12 and 13 .
- a plurality of screws 54 are used to mount the combo actuator 14 to the housing 12 .
- Circular flange 36 may function as a part of a robotic arm mechanical hard stop described in more detail below.
- a plurality of screws holes 56 are the screw holes for fixing the cover 18 to the joint housing body 16 .
- the combo actuator 14 has an output side defined by the output shaft 48 and an inside 49 .
- FIG. 10 presents the exploded view of a 2 DOF L-shaped two joint module 10 .
- Module 10 includes two rotary actuators, preferably combo actuators 14 , a module housing 12 including a housing body 16 and a housing cover 18 .
- the axes 26 and 28 of the compartments 20 and 22 are co-linear with the axes of the two combo actuators 14 .
- the axes 26 and 28 are orthogonal to each other.
- the two combo actuators 14 are made of a combo actuator which is shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 .
- the two combo actuators 14 are installed to the housing 12 by being inserted from outside to inside of the housing compartments 20 and 22 (as best seen in FIG. 10 ). Then, the combo actuators 14 are fixed to the housing 12 with the screws 54 .
- a washer 62 is positioned between of the screw 54 and actuator 14 .
- Internal cable holders may be used to stabilize the cables 66 (shown in FIG. 11 ). Cable bundles 66 are passed through the housing 12 from one end to the other. More specifically the cables go from the outside side defined by the output shaft 48 of one combo actuator 14 to the inside thereof 49 through the central compartment 24 to the inside 49 of the other combo actuator 14 to the outside thereof defined by the output shaft 48 .
- the cable bundles 66 may be held in place with cable holders attached to the inside of the module housing body 16 .
- An electronic component 72 may be mounted on the inside of the cover 18 . If present the electronic component 72 is used to distribute signals such as the voltage divider. Alternatively this may be done wirelessly.
- the cables 47 of the combo actuator 14 are operably connected to cable 66 .
- the electronic component 72 is operably connected to the cable 66 .
- FIG. 11 shows cable routing through the joint module 10 .
- the cable routing process is simplified with the structure design of the joint module.
- a bundle of cables 66 is designed to pass the joint module 10 from one end to another end. The sequence is as follow: The cable bundle 66 passes through a combo actuator 14 , located in housing compartment 22 , through the combo actuator's hollow shaft 50 from one end to another. Then, the cable bundle reaches the compartment 24 . After that, the cable bundle 66 passes through the other combo actuator 14 , located in housing compartment 20 , through the combo actuator's hollow shaft 50 from one end to another.
- the maintenance process of the joint module 10 is very easy.
- users can simply open the housing cover 18 to access the electronic components placed in the housing compartment 24 .
- users can take the combo actuators 14 out from housing compartment 20 and 22 .
- a robotic arm 100 uses a plurality of the 2 DOF joint modules 10 .
- the joint modules 10 may be used as a turret-shoulder 104 , elbow 106 , and wrist 108 modules respectively. These modules can be used with two links 102 and 110 respectively to form a six degree of freedom robotic arm 100 .
- the turret shoulder module 104 of the arm 100 is attached to a seat 112 .
- An electronic box 114 is attached to the seat 112 .
- the electronic box 114 or control cabinet includes a plurality of drives 124 (shown in FIG. 13 ) one for each of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies 14 .
- Each hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 is operably attached to a motor drive 124 .
- the turret-shoulder module 104 is attached to shoulder link 102 at one end thereof.
- One side of the elbow module 106 is attached to the other end of shoulder link 102 .
- the other side of the elbow-wrist module 106 is attached to one side of an elbow link 110 .
- the other side of the elbow link 110 is attached to wrist module 108 .
- An internal cable bundle 66 goes in to the arm 100 and is electronically connected to the electronic box 114 .
- the cable bundle 116 passes through the following components: the turret seat 112 , the turret-shoulder module 104 , the shoulder link 102 , the elbow-wrist module 106 , the elbow link 110 and the wrist module 108 as shown in FIG. 12 .
- the shoulder link 102 includes a link base 126 and a link cover 128 attached together with a plurality of screws 130 .
- the shoulder link 102 provides a first port 132 and a second port 134 at opposed ends thereof which are attachable to the joints.
- the first port 132 and the second port 134 are generally in the same plane.
- the link base 126 is basically a plate and the link cover 128 is basically hollow cover. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the design shown herein is both easy to use and easy to scale. It would be relatively inexpensive to change the length of the shoulder link 102 . As can be seen the drawings the cable bundles 66 can easily pass through the shoulder link 102 .
- the elbow link 110 has a generally tubular hollow body 136 and a cover 138 .
- Elbow link 110 includes a first port 140 and a second port 142 .
- the first port 140 and second port 142 are generally orthogonal.
- the elbow link 110 can easily be elongated to increase the length of the link. As can be seen in the drawings since the link is hollow the cable bundles 66 can easily pass through the elbow link 110 .
- the 2-DOF joint module 10 is more compact and light weight.
- each joint of L-shaped 2 DOF joint module 10 described herein is designed with larger motor power, torque and higher speed in comparison to SCHUNK's POWERBALLTM joint.
- the joint modules 10 may be sized for the particular purpose.
- the turret-shoulder 104 , elbow 106 , and wrist 108 modules are sized for their particular purpose.
- the wrist module 108 has a smaller payload so the wrist module may be smaller.
- the power, speed and torque of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies may be chosen for the specific purpose.
- the power, speed and torque characteristics may be different in one of the two degree of freedom joint module 10 .
- Table 1 in the turret-shoulder module 104 the power, speed and torque of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies 14 for the turret joint and the shoulder joint are the same.
- the elbow module 106 the power, speed and torque of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies 14 are different.
- the housing 12 of the elbow module 106 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 but the characteristics of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies 14 is different.
- the different arms of the L-shaped housing is different. Specifically one arm 150 is smaller than the arm 152 and the characteristics of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies 14 are different.
- the two degree of freedom joint module 10 may be varied by changing the angle between the two hollow rotary actuator assemblies 14 as shown in FIG. 23 .
- the module 160 shown herein is similar to modules 10 , 104 , 106 and 108 but the angle between the assemblies 14 arms 162 and 164 is an obtuse angle. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the angle shown herein is by way of example only and the user may choose whatever angle fits their particular purpose. The angle may be chosen if the joint is for use in a particularly awkward location where the convention right angle is not the optimal solution.
- FIG. 24 shows an alternate arm 170 .
- This arm is similar to that shown in FIG. 13 but with elongated shoulder link 172 and an elongated elbow link 174 .
- the sizes of the shoulder module 104 , elbow module 106 and wrist module 108 are the same as those shown in FIG. 13 however as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the sizes of the joints may be varied depending on the needs of the user and the anticipated payload.
- the axis 118 of the roll joint elbow module 106 is not aligned along the axis 120 of the twist joint of the wrist module 108 .
- Axis 118 is offset 122 from axis 120 by a defined amount. This offset structure has not been seen in prior art robot arms even when these prior art robotic arms use a use a 2-DOF joint modules in their design.
- the structure of the new joint module is of “L-Shape”, which is not seen in the prior art.
- the “L-Shape” two joint module 10 consisting of two cylindrical tubes with their central axes orthogonal to each other is manufactured in one piece so its mechanical structure is very sturdy. As discussed the size of the cylindrical tubes may be the same or vary depending on the combo actuators 14 sized to be used therein.
- the installation method of joints for each module is simpler than that of the prior art.
- the installation method is shown in FIG. 10 .
- the two combo actuators 14 are inserted into the tubes of the “L-Shape” housing body 16 from outside to inside direction, with actuators' head/(shaft end or output shaft 48 ) facing outside and tail/(brake end 44 ) facing inside.
- the rotational axes of the two actuators are aligned with the tubes' axis 26 , 28 , which are orthogonal to each other and the tails of actuators are back-to-back to each other.
- the hollow shaft structure allows for simple cable routing and cable management. As shown in FIG. 11 , cables go in from the head end of the first joint or combo actuator 14 , and pass through the actuator 14 from the back end and then turn 90 degrees towards the second joint or combo actuator 14 . Then, the cables go in from the back end of the second actuator 14 , and go all the way out from the head end of the actuator 14 .
- the maintenance process of the joint and arm is relatively easy.
- the two actuators are back-to-back to each other, so the electronic components of two actuators are all gathered and placed in the center corner compartment of the housing. Users can easily access the electronic components in the center compartment by taking the cover piece away without taking the entire joint module apart. Therefore, this design reduces the complexity of maintenance.
- the 2 DOF joint modules 104 , 106 and 108 can be used in a robotic arm 100 .
- the joint modules 104 , 106 and 108 represent the turret-shoulder, elbow-wrist, and wrist-pitch and wrist-roll modules respectively.
- the shoulder module 104 and the elbow module 106 are attached to opposing ends of the first or shoulder link 102 and the elbow module 106 and the wrist module 108 are attached to opposing ends of the second or elbow link 110 .
- This design of the robotic arm has advantages.
- Robotic arm 100 has a different structure from the robot arms the prior art robotic arms that use single joint modules or 2 DOF joint modules.
- Robotic arm 100 is configured such that the rotation axis of elbow-roll of the elbow joint 104 is not aligned or is offset with the rotation axis of wrist-twist of the wrist joint 108 as shown in FIG. 12 . This configuration solves the singularity issue for wrist joint module, and thus expands the arm working space.
- robotic arm 100 uses same type of joint modules, the assembly between joint modules and links can be done in few steps.
- the number of components is lower than other robot arms using modular joints.
- the terms, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed as being inclusive and open ended, and not exclusive. Specifically, when used in the specification and claims, the terms, “comprises” and “comprising” and variations thereof mean the specified features, steps or components are included. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.
- operably connected or “operably attached” means that the two elements are connected or attached either directly or indirectly. Accordingly the items need not be directly connected or attached but may have other items connected or attached therebetween.
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Abstract
A robotic arm includes at least two two-joint modules and at least a first link. Each two-joint module includes a housing, a pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies and a pair of motor drives. Each actuator assembly has an axis and a hollow shaft and the axes are arranged at an angle to each other. The pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies are arranged such that a back end of the actuator assemblies is inside the housing and a front end of the actuator assemblies extends outwardly of the housing, and attached to the housing such that cables can be fed from the outside of one of the actuator assemblies to the inside thereof and to the inside of the other actuator assemblies to the outside thereof. The pair of motor drives are operably attached to the actuator assemblies and the motor drives are outside the housing.
Description
- This disclosure relates to robotic arms and in particular an arm using a two joint module having two degrees of freedom and having a generally L-shape.
- Two degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) joint modules used in robotic arms are becoming more common due to several advantages such as: compact size, light weight and lower cost. Joint modules are designed to meet certain requirements and constraints and these are transformed into the design specifications. For industrial applications, the requirements of payload range, speed, accuracy, reliability, lifetime, safety, ease of assembly and maintenance are very important.
- There is a type of 2-DOF joint module, called Powerball ERB™ designed by Schunk GmbH & Co. KG. This joint module is housed in a ball shape enclosure that contains all the components needed to control the joint: servo motor, encoder, motor drive, harmonic drive, holding brake and hollow shaft for internal cabling. The joint module is not sealed as ventilation is needed to dissipate heat generated by the electronic components such as motor, motor drive and brake. The module is light weight, compact and is highly integrated. However, this design has limitations.
- First, the Powerball ERB™ joint module consists of many mechanical and electronic components and this increases the complexity of the structure while also creates a heat dissipation problem. Since all electrical and control components are integrated in the module housing, the heat generated by these components requires a relatively large space to dissipate. However, since this joint is designed to be a compact joint, the power consumed by the electronic components is constrained by the heat that is generated. This in turn limits the output power of the joint module. Hence, the application of this type of joint module in terms of payload range is limited.
- Second, to solve the issue of heat dissipation, openings or slots are made on the housing. This limits the applications of the joint module under certain harsh industrial environments such as dusty, humid, and explosive environments. These joints could not be used in robot arms for painting, coating and welding. For example; the explosive gases and sparks that may be present in such industrial applications could get into the joint module and cause explosions.
- Third, the Powerball ERB™ can be used to build a robotic arm, LWA-4P™. The LWA-4P arm comprises three Powerball joint modules and two links. Since the joint modules have limitations on heat dissipation and power capped issues, the arm cannot work under some harsh industrial environments and the payload of the arm is limited.
- There is another 2-DOF joint module, designed by Engineering Services Inc. (ESI) with patent number U.S. Pat. No. 9,044,865. This joint module is designed for large torque and low speed applications. The joint module includes a module housing and two joints. Also, one of joints has a hollow shaft gearhead, an off-axis drive, a servo motor, and internal cables extending through the hollow shaft gearhead. Since the joint module is designed to connect with a link, it has an active side and a passive side with electronic connectors. The active side is mechanically connected to the link and the electronic connectors of the passive side are operably connected to the link cables. The joint is used to build a robotic arm. There are limitations with this design as discussed below.
- First, since all the components needed to control the motion of the joint are integrated into the module, it has the same heat dissipation problem mentioned in the Powerball EBR™.
- Second, the cable routing inside the module is complicated because of the internal structure of the joint module. One of joints uses a non-hollow shafted motor and gearhead for providing the torque. Because of the internal structure of the joint, the cables go into one end of the module and inside the module turn 90 degrees and go out the other side of the module. In this case, the cables will be squeezed inside the housing. This may cause large torsional forces on the cables.
- There is another type of 2-DOF joint module, designed by Fanuc Robotics North America as shown in a patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,107. Each module housing accommodates two hollow shafted rotary actuators, other electronic components and internal cables. The joint is used to build a robotic arm. However, this design also has limitations.
- First, the installation process of rotary actuators and electronic components is complicated because it requires too many assembly steps. The two actuator sets are installed inside the housing, with their output shaft facing outside and the motor facing inside of the housing. The two actuators will be fixed to the housing wall by bolts and screws. To mount the two actuators in the housing, the two actuators cannot be put in from outside to inside of the housing. Instead, the actuators must be installed from the inside. So, the entire housing must be dissembled. Once the actuators are installed the housing is reassembled as one piece with screws and bolts. Therefore, the installation process is complicated.
- Second, the joint module housing of Fanuc is not made of one piece. The housing box is made of several pieces and these pieces are fixed by screws and bolts to form the housing. So, the structure of the housing is not as strong as the one-piece housing.
- Third, the maintenance process of the joint module is complicated. To access the actuators and other electronic components, a user needs to dissemble the housing case, conduct the maintenance, and resemble the housing once the maintenance is finished.
- All of the aforementioned approaches to modular joints have limitations for industrial applications. It would be advantageous to design a new type of 2-DOF joint module which will have features such as compact, low heat generation, sealed and rigid housing, large payloads, ease of installation and maintenance process and assembly.
- The present disclosure relates to a two joint module. The two joint module includes a housing and a pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies. Each actuator assembly has an axis and a hollow shaft and the axes are arranged at an angle to each other. The pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies are arranged back to back and attached to the housing such that cables can be fed from the outside of one of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies to the inside thereof and to the inside of the other of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies to the outside thereof.
- The axes of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies may be arranged orthogonally.
- Each hollow rotary actuator assembly may include a brushless DC servo motor having a hollow central portion, an encoder having a hollow central portion, a brake having a hollow central portion and an encoder having a hollow central portion. Each hollow rotary actuator assembly may be a combo actuator.
- The housing may include a housing body and a housing cover releasably attachable to the housing body. The housing body may include a pair of generally cylindrical compartments for housing the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies. The housing body may further include a center compartment between the two generally cylindrical compartments.
- The axes of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies may be arranged at an obtuse angle therebetween.
- The power, speed and torque of the pair of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies may be the same. Alternatively, the power, speed and torque of the pair of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies may be different.
- The two joint module may include a pair of motor drives operably attached to the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies and the motor drives are outside the housing.
- The disclosure also relates to a robotic arm. The robotic includes at least two two joint modules wherein each two joint module is as described above and at least a first link.
- The robotic arm may include a third two joint module and a second link, wherein the two joint modules are a shoulder module, an elbow module and a wrist module. The shoulder module and the elbow module are operably attached to opposing ends of the first link and the elbow module and the wrist module are attached to opposing ends of the second link.
- The first link may be a shoulder link. The shoulder link may include a body and a hollow cover and having a first port and a second port. The first port and the second port of the shoulder link are generally in the same plane.
- The second link may be a wrist link. The wrist link may have a first and second port that are generally orthogonal to each other.
- The robotic arm may include a motor drive operably attached to each of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies and the motor drives being outside the housing.
- Further features will be described or will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description.
- The embodiments will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a two degree of freedom two joint module which is generally L-shaped; -
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the housing for the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a front view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module housing ofFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a hollow rotary actuator assembly having a central axial hole therethrough and for use with the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 5 is a side view of the hollow rotary actuator assembly ofFIG. 4 ; -
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the hollow rotary actuator assembly ofFIGS. 4 and 5 ; -
FIG. 7 is a front view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 8 is a side view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module ofFIGS. 1 and 7 ; -
FIG. 9 is a top view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module ofFIGS. 1, 7 and 8 ; -
FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module ofFIGS. 1, 7, 8 and 9 ; -
FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module ofFIGS. 1, and 7 to 10 and showing the cable routing; -
FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of an arm using the two degree of freedom L-shaped two joint module ofFIGS. 1 and 7 to 11 ; - and
-
FIG. 13 is a side view of the arm ofFIG. 17 shown in a different orientation; -
FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the shoulder link shown in the arm ofFIGS. 12 and 13 as viewed from one side thereof; -
FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the shoulder link ofFIG. 14 but viewed from the other side thereof; -
FIG. 16 is an exploded side view of the elbow link shown in the arm ofFIGS. 12 and 13 as viewed from one side thereof; -
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the elbow link ofFIG. 16 ; -
FIG. 18 is a cross section view of the elbow link shown inFIGS. 16 and 17 ; -
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the L-shaped two joint module shown inFIGS. 1 and 7 to 11 but with different sized hollow rotary actuator assemblies; -
FIG. 20 is a side view of the L-shaped two joint module ofFIG. 18 ; -
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a further alternate embodiment of the L-shaped two joint module shown inFIGS. 1 and 7 to 11 and 18 and 19 but with different sized hollow rotary actuator assemblies, different from those shown inFIGS. 18 and 19 ; -
FIG. 22 is a side view of the L-shaped joint module ofFIG. 21 ; -
FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a further alternate embodiment of a two joint module similar to those shown inFIGS. 1 and 7 to 11 and 19 to 22 but with an obtuse angle between the two hollow rotary actuator assemblies; -
FIG. 24 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of an arm similar to that shown inFIG. 18 but having different sized links; and -
FIG. 25 is a top view of an arm using the L-shaped joints ofFIGS. 1 and 7 to 11 and 19 to 22 but showing the offset. - Referring to
FIG. 1 , a two degree of freedom two-joint module which is generally L-shaped is shown generally at 10. L-shaped twojoint module 10 includes ahousing 12, a pair of hollowrotary actuator assemblies 14 arranged orthogonally in thehousing 12. - As best seen in
FIGS. 2 and 3 thehousing 12 is composed of two parts: ahousing body 16 and a housing corner cover 18 that is releasably attachable to the housing body. Thehousing body 16 contains three compartments: two generallycylindrical compartments rotary actuator assemblies 14 which may be turret and shoulder actuators; acenter compartment 24 is located in betweencompartments Compartments center axis corner cover 18 is detachable from thehousing body 16. Thehousing body 16 includes aflange 36 -
FIG. 3 shows the front view of the L-shaped two joint modulejoint module housing 12. Thehousing body 16 allows two hollowrotary actuator assemblies 14 to have orthogonal axes by means ofcompartments apertures 26 are formed in thehousing body 16 around the opening to thecompartments compartment 20 has ahole 30 on the inside thereof for electronics connection to the hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 (not shown). Similarly cavity orcompartment 22 has ahole 32 on the inside thereof for electronics connection to the hollow rotary actuator assembly 14 (not shown). An example of a hollow rotary actuator assembly for use in the L-shaped twojoint module 10 is shown inFIGS. 4 to 6 . Hollowrotary actuator assembly 14 has a hollow shaft along its central axis. Hollowrotary actuator assembly 14 includes a brushlessDC servo motor 40, anencoder 42, abrake 44 and agear head 46. The hollowrotary actuator assembly 14 has anoutput shaft 48 for attaching it to thehousing 12. Each of the elements of the hollowrotary actuator assembly 14 is generally donut shaped such that the hollow rotary actuator assembly has a hollow central shaft. More specifically theservo motor 40 has a hollow central portion. Theencoder 42 is an absolute encoder and has a hollow central portion. Thebrake 44 has a hollow central portion. Thegear head 46 has a hollow central portion. Preferably the hollowrotary actuator assembly 14 is a combo actuator and each element is connected together to form a single combo actuator. Each element is operably connected tocables 47. The combo actuator or hollowrotary actuator assembly 14 has the advantages of compact size, and the hollow shaft feature allows cables to be passed therethrough. Thecross-roll bearing 43 is embedded in theflange 45 as best shown inFIG. 6 . Thecross-roll bearing 43 is used on the mountingflange 45 to simplify the assembly of thecombo actuator 14, and reduces its weight and size. - Referring to
FIGS. 1, and 7 to 11 , a two-joint L-shaped module is shown generally at 10.Module 10 includes two hollowrotary actuator assemblies 14 and ajoint housing 12 having ahousing body 16 and ahousing corner cover 18. Thejoint housing 12 is shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 . Thecombo actuator 14 has ahollow shaft 50. The axes of the hollow shafts of the twocombo actuators 14 are collinear with the center axes 26 and 28 ofcompartments housing 12, shown inFIG. 2 . A plurality of screw holes 52 are formed in theoutput shaft 48 of thecombo actuator 14. The screws holes 54 are formed in the flange plate. Thecross-roll bearings 43 form part of theflange plate 45 and the screw holes 54 only go through theflange plate 45. Thecross-roller bearing 43 provides support to theoutput shaft 48 in bending. Theoutput shaft 48 provides the output torque. -
Holes 52 are used for connecting thejoint module 10 to arobot arm link 102 as described below in relation toFIGS. 12 and 13 . A plurality ofscrews 54 are used to mount thecombo actuator 14 to thehousing 12.Circular flange 36 may function as a part of a robotic arm mechanical hard stop described in more detail below. A plurality of screws holes 56 are the screw holes for fixing thecover 18 to thejoint housing body 16. Thecombo actuator 14 has an output side defined by theoutput shaft 48 and an inside 49. -
FIG. 10 presents the exploded view of a 2 DOF L-shaped twojoint module 10.Module 10 includes two rotary actuators, preferablycombo actuators 14, amodule housing 12 including ahousing body 16 and ahousing cover 18. Theaxes compartments combo actuators 14. Theaxes combo actuators 14 are made of a combo actuator which is shown inFIGS. 4 to 6 . The twocombo actuators 14 are installed to thehousing 12 by being inserted from outside to inside of thehousing compartments 20 and 22 (as best seen inFIG. 10 ). Then, thecombo actuators 14 are fixed to thehousing 12 with thescrews 54. Awasher 62 is positioned between of thescrew 54 andactuator 14. Internal cable holders may be used to stabilize the cables 66 (shown inFIG. 11 ). Cable bundles 66 are passed through thehousing 12 from one end to the other. More specifically the cables go from the outside side defined by theoutput shaft 48 of onecombo actuator 14 to the inside thereof 49 through thecentral compartment 24 to the inside 49 of the other combo actuator 14 to the outside thereof defined by theoutput shaft 48. The cable bundles 66 may be held in place with cable holders attached to the inside of themodule housing body 16. Anelectronic component 72 may be mounted on the inside of thecover 18. If present theelectronic component 72 is used to distribute signals such as the voltage divider. Alternatively this may be done wirelessly. Thecables 47 of thecombo actuator 14 are operably connected tocable 66. Similarly theelectronic component 72 is operably connected to thecable 66.FIG. 11 shows cable routing through thejoint module 10. The cable routing process is simplified with the structure design of the joint module. A bundle ofcables 66 is designed to pass thejoint module 10 from one end to another end. The sequence is as follow: Thecable bundle 66 passes through acombo actuator 14, located inhousing compartment 22, through the combo actuator'shollow shaft 50 from one end to another. Then, the cable bundle reaches thecompartment 24. After that, thecable bundle 66 passes through theother combo actuator 14, located inhousing compartment 20, through the combo actuator'shollow shaft 50 from one end to another. - In addition, as shown in
FIG. 11 , the maintenance process of thejoint module 10 is very easy. For cable connection and electrical parts maintenance, users can simply open thehousing cover 18 to access the electronic components placed in thehousing compartment 24. For mechanical parts maintenance, users can take thecombo actuators 14 out fromhousing compartment - As shown in
FIGS. 12 and 13 , arobotic arm 100 uses a plurality of the 2 DOFjoint modules 10. Thejoint modules 10 may be used as a turret-shoulder 104,elbow 106, andwrist 108 modules respectively. These modules can be used with twolinks robotic arm 100. Theturret shoulder module 104 of thearm 100 is attached to aseat 112. Anelectronic box 114 is attached to theseat 112. Theelectronic box 114 or control cabinet includes a plurality of drives 124 (shown inFIG. 13 ) one for each of the hollowrotary actuator assemblies 14. Each hollowrotary actuator assembly 14 is operably attached to amotor drive 124. The turret-shoulder module 104 is attached to shoulder link 102 at one end thereof. One side of theelbow module 106 is attached to the other end ofshoulder link 102. The other side of the elbow-wrist module 106 is attached to one side of anelbow link 110. The other side of theelbow link 110 is attached towrist module 108. - An
internal cable bundle 66 goes in to thearm 100 and is electronically connected to theelectronic box 114. Thecable bundle 116 passes through the following components: theturret seat 112, the turret-shoulder module 104, theshoulder link 102, the elbow-wrist module 106, theelbow link 110 and thewrist module 108 as shown inFIG. 12 . - Referring to
FIGS. 14 and 15 theshoulder link 102 includes alink base 126 and alink cover 128 attached together with a plurality ofscrews 130. Theshoulder link 102 provides afirst port 132 and asecond port 134 at opposed ends thereof which are attachable to the joints. Thefirst port 132 and thesecond port 134 are generally in the same plane. Thelink base 126 is basically a plate and thelink cover 128 is basically hollow cover. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the design shown herein is both easy to use and easy to scale. It would be relatively inexpensive to change the length of theshoulder link 102. As can be seen the drawings the cable bundles 66 can easily pass through theshoulder link 102. - Referring to
FIGS. 16-18 , theelbow link 110 has a generally tubularhollow body 136 and acover 138.Elbow link 110 includes afirst port 140 and asecond port 142. Thefirst port 140 andsecond port 142 are generally orthogonal. Theelbow link 110 can easily be elongated to increase the length of the link. As can be seen in the drawings since the link is hollow the cable bundles 66 can easily pass through theelbow link 110. - By using the combo actuators and placing
motor drives 124 outside joint module, the 2-DOFjoint module 10 is more compact and light weight. - Also, since the motor drives 124 are outside
joint module 10, the influence of heat from the motor in the motor drive is external to the joint module and this allows the joint module to be designed in compact manner. These features enable the new joint modules to be used by robot arms working in industrial environments. This design overcomes the aforementioned heat dissipation problem in the prior art joints discussed above and specifically the Powerball ERB™ and U.S. Pat. No. 9,044,865B2. - It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that to achieve larger power, torque and higher speed of the joints, the size of the joint module increases proportionally for the different purposes, such as accommodation of bigger components and heat dissipation. However, once the heat generation inside the joint module housing is reduced, within the original module space, each joint can be designed to achieve larger power, torque and higher speed. As shown in Table 1, each joint of L-shaped 2 DOF
joint module 10 described herein is designed with larger motor power, torque and higher speed in comparison to SCHUNK's POWERBALL™ joint. - In addition the
joint modules 10 may be sized for the particular purpose. As shown herein the turret-shoulder 104,elbow 106, andwrist 108 modules are sized for their particular purpose. For example thewrist module 108 has a smaller payload so the wrist module may be smaller. As well, the power, speed and torque of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies may be chosen for the specific purpose. The power, speed and torque characteristics may be different in one of the two degree of freedomjoint module 10. As shown in Table 1 in the turret-shoulder module 104 the power, speed and torque of the hollowrotary actuator assemblies 14 for the turret joint and the shoulder joint are the same. In contrast in theelbow module 106 the power, speed and torque of the hollowrotary actuator assemblies 14 are different. As can be seen inFIGS. 19 and 20 thehousing 12 of theelbow module 106 is the same as that shown inFIGS. 1 to 11 but the characteristics of the hollowrotary actuator assemblies 14 is different. In contrast in thewrist module 108 shown inFIGS. 21 and 22 the different arms of the L-shaped housing is different. Specifically onearm 150 is smaller than thearm 152 and the characteristics of the hollowrotary actuator assemblies 14 are different. -
TABLE 1 Specification comparison between joint module 10 and SCHUNK's joints Motor Power (W) Speed (deg/s) Torque (Nm) Joint 104 SCHUNK 104 SCHUNK 104 SCHUNK Turret 480 72 70 72 382 35 Joint Shoulder 480 72 70 72 382 35 Joint Joint 106 SCHUNK 106 SCHUNK 106 SCHUNK Elbow Pitch 308 72 180 72 178 35 Joint Elbow Roll 207 72 180 72 81 35 Joint Joint 108 SCHUNK 108 SCHUNK 108 SCHUNK Wrist pitch 109 72 180 90 43 7 Joint Wrist twist 109 72 180 90 35 7 Joint - The two degree of freedom
joint module 10 may be varied by changing the angle between the two hollowrotary actuator assemblies 14 as shown inFIG. 23 . Themodule 160 shown herein is similar tomodules assemblies 14arms - As discussed above the lengths of the links may vary depending on the needs of the user. An example of this is shown in
FIG. 24 which shows analternate arm 170. This arm is similar to that shown inFIG. 13 but withelongated shoulder link 172 and anelongated elbow link 174. In the example shown herein the sizes of theshoulder module 104,elbow module 106 andwrist module 108 are the same as those shown inFIG. 13 however as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the sizes of the joints may be varied depending on the needs of the user and the anticipated payload. - In the configuration shown in
FIG. 25 , theaxis 118 of the rolljoint elbow module 106 is not aligned along theaxis 120 of the twist joint of thewrist module 108.Axis 118 is offset 122 fromaxis 120 by a defined amount. This offset structure has not been seen in prior art robot arms even when these prior art robotic arms use a use a 2-DOF joint modules in their design. - The structure of the new joint module is of “L-Shape”, which is not seen in the prior art. The “L-Shape” two
joint module 10, consisting of two cylindrical tubes with their central axes orthogonal to each other is manufactured in one piece so its mechanical structure is very sturdy. As discussed the size of the cylindrical tubes may be the same or vary depending on thecombo actuators 14 sized to be used therein. - Due to the “L-Shape” structure of the module housing, the installation method of joints for each module is simpler than that of the prior art. The installation method is shown in
FIG. 10 . The twocombo actuators 14 are inserted into the tubes of the “L-Shape”housing body 16 from outside to inside direction, with actuators' head/(shaft end or output shaft 48) facing outside and tail/(brake end 44) facing inside. The rotational axes of the two actuators are aligned with the tubes'axis actuators 14 are inserted into the tubes of thehousing body 16, they are fixed to the housing with screws. - There are at least two advantages of this installation method. First, when installing the
combo actuators 14 to thehousing 12, the entire housing is not taken apart and the module remains in one piece. The firmness and stability of the structure, therefore, will remain. This feature overcomes the shortcoming of Fanuc design described above, whose actuators are installed from inside to outside and the entire joint is has to be taken apart for installation or maintenance. Second, since the twoactuators 14 are back-to-back, the hollow shaft structure allows for simple cable routing and cable management. As shown inFIG. 11 , cables go in from the head end of the first joint orcombo actuator 14, and pass through the actuator 14 from the back end and then turn 90 degrees towards the second joint orcombo actuator 14. Then, the cables go in from the back end of thesecond actuator 14, and go all the way out from the head end of theactuator 14. - Due to the structure of the
module housing 12 and the simple installation method ofjoint module 10, the maintenance process of the joint and arm is relatively easy. As shown inFIG. 11 , in the “L-Shape” housing, the two actuators are back-to-back to each other, so the electronic components of two actuators are all gathered and placed in the center corner compartment of the housing. Users can easily access the electronic components in the center compartment by taking the cover piece away without taking the entire joint module apart. Therefore, this design reduces the complexity of maintenance. As shown inFIG. 12 , the 2 DOFjoint modules robotic arm 100. Thejoint modules shoulder module 104 and theelbow module 106 are attached to opposing ends of the first orshoulder link 102 and theelbow module 106 and thewrist module 108 are attached to opposing ends of the second orelbow link 110. This design of the robotic arm has advantages. -
Robotic arm 100 has a different structure from the robot arms the prior art robotic arms that use single joint modules or 2 DOF joint modules.Robotic arm 100 is configured such that the rotation axis of elbow-roll of the elbow joint 104 is not aligned or is offset with the rotation axis of wrist-twist of the wrist joint 108 as shown inFIG. 12 . This configuration solves the singularity issue for wrist joint module, and thus expands the arm working space. - In addition the manufacturing and assembly processes of
robotic arm 100 are greatly simplified. The arm uses same type of joint modules, the assembly between joint modules and links can be done in few steps. The number of components is lower than other robot arms using modular joints. - Generally speaking, the systems described herein are directed to 2-DOF joint modules and robotic arms that use same. Various embodiments and aspects of the disclosure will be described with reference to details discussed below. The following description and drawings are illustrative of the disclosure and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to provide a concise discussion of embodiments of the present disclosure.
- As used herein, the terms, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed as being inclusive and open ended, and not exclusive. Specifically, when used in the specification and claims, the terms, “comprises” and “comprising” and variations thereof mean the specified features, steps or components are included. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.
- As used herein the “operably connected” or “operably attached” means that the two elements are connected or attached either directly or indirectly. Accordingly the items need not be directly connected or attached but may have other items connected or attached therebetween.
Claims (17)
1. A robotic arm comprising:
at least two two-joint modules wherein each two-joint module includes:
a housing;
a pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies each having an axis and a hollow shaft and the axes being arranged at an angle to each other and the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies being arranged such that a back end of each of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies is inside the housing and a front end of each of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies extends outwardly of the housing, and attached to the housing body such that the cables can be fed from the outside of one of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies to the inside thereof and to the inside of the other of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies to the outside thereof; and
a pair of motor drives operably attached to the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies and the motor drives being outside the housing; and
at least a first link.
2. The robotic arm of claim 1 further including a third two-joint module and a second link, and the two-joint modules are a shoulder module, an elbow module and a wrist module and shoulder module and the elbow module are operably attached to opposing ends of the first link and the elbow module and the wrist module are attached to opposing ends of the second link.
3. The robotic arm of claim 1 wherein each the axes of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies are arranged orthogonally.
4. The robotic arm of claim 3 wherein each hollow rotary actuator assembly is a combo actuator.
5. The robotic arm of claim 4 wherein each hollow rotary actuator assembly includes a brushless DC servo motor having a hollow central portion, an encoder having a hollow central portion, a brake having a hollow central portion and an encoder having a hollow central portion.
6. The robotic arm of claim 1 wherein housing of each two-joint module includes a housing body and a housing cover releasably attachable to the housing body.
7. The robotic arm of claim 6 wherein each housing body includes a pair of generally cylindrical compartments for housing the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies.
8. The robotic arm of claim 7 wherein each housing body further includes center compartment between the two generally cylindrical compartments.
9. The robotic arm of claim 1 wherein the axes of the pair of hollow rotary actuator assemblies are arranged at an obtuse angle therebetween.
10. The robotic arm of claim 1 wherein the power, speed and torque of the pair of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies is the same.
11. The robotic arm of claim 1 wherein the power, speed and torque of the pair of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies is different.
12. The robotic arm of claim 1 wherein the first link is a shoulder link.
13. The robotic arm of claim 12 wherein the shoulder link includes a body and a hollow cover and having a first port and a second port.
14. The robotic arm of claim 13 wherein the first port and the second port of the shoulder link are generally in the same plane.
15. The robotic arm of claim 14 wherein the at least two two-joint modules are three two-joint modules being a shoulder module, an elbow module and a wrist module and further including a second link being a wrist link and wherein the shoulder module is attached at one end of the shoulder link and the elbow module is attached at the other end thereof and the elbow module is attached a one end of the wrist link and the wrist module is attached at the other end thereof.
16. The robotic arm of claim 15 where in the wrist link has a first and second port that are generally orthogonal to each other.
17. The robotic arm of claim 1 further a motor drive operably attached to each of the hollow rotary actuator assemblies and the motor drives being outside the housing.
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US16/035,182 US20180319012A1 (en) | 2017-04-27 | 2018-07-13 | Arm using a two-joint module |
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US15/499,604 US10022861B1 (en) | 2017-04-27 | 2017-04-27 | Two joint module and arm using same |
US16/035,182 US20180319012A1 (en) | 2017-04-27 | 2018-07-13 | Arm using a two-joint module |
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JP7405588B2 (en) | 2019-12-11 | 2023-12-26 | ファナック株式会社 | Housing and joint mechanism |
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IT201600130715A1 (en) * | 2016-12-23 | 2018-06-23 | Comau Spa | "Functional device, in particular robots, with modular modules for educational use" |
CN108032328B (en) * | 2017-12-18 | 2023-08-04 | 深圳市优必选科技有限公司 | Steering engine assembly, robot joint structure and robot |
JP1612912S (en) * | 2018-03-29 | 2018-09-03 | ||
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Also Published As
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CN108789476A (en) | 2018-11-13 |
US10022861B1 (en) | 2018-07-17 |
WO2018195670A1 (en) | 2018-11-01 |
CN207071943U (en) | 2018-03-06 |
HK1243584A2 (en) | 2018-07-13 |
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