Joint heat dissipation structure and robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a joint heat dissipation structure and a robot in the technical field of robots. The joint heat dissipation structure comprises a joint, the joint is provided with a shell, a containing cavity is formed in the inner side of the shell, a motor is fixedly arranged in the containing cavity, the joint heat dissipation structure is further provided with a heat dissipation assembly used for reducing the temperature in the containing cavity, the heat dissipation assembly is a pulsating heat pipe, and the pulsating heat pipe comprises an evaporation section and a condensation section. The evaporation section is attached to the outer wall of the motor, and the condensation section is attached to the inner wall of the shell. The pulsating heat pipe is used for heat dissipation, based on the phase change heat transfer principle, no extra fan or pump is needed, self-oscillation flowing is achieved completely through thermal driving, and the overall energy consumption of the robot is remarkably reduced. The pulsating heat pipe is small in occupied space, light in weight, simple in structure, low in maintenance cost and suitable for long-term operation, and joint movement flexibility and load capacity are effectively improved; the condensation section is attached to the inner wall of the shell, the joint shell can be heated while heat dissipation is conducted, and the warm touch feeling can be provided without extra energy consumption.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a joint heat dissipation structure and a robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] The human robot joint is the core moving part of the robot, and high-power density servo motors, reducers, controllers and other heat generating elements are integrated inside. When running for a long time under high load, the internal temperature of the joint can reach more than 80℃, and even in some extreme cases it can reach 120℃, which seriously affects the reliability and service life of the joint.

[0003] At present, for the heat dissipation problem of humanoid robot joints, a variety of technical solutions have been proposed. For example, the air cooling heat dissipation scheme: through the fan and the heat dissipation fin to accelerate the air circulation and reduce the temperature of the components. For example, the Tian Gong Ultra robot uses directional airflow to guide the joint heat to the main heat dissipation area, so that the joint temperature is stable below 70℃. But this scheme is limited in efficiency in the compact space of the joint, and the fan is easy to be damaged in the vibration environment. For example, the liquid cooling heat dissipation scheme: using a micro liquid cooling system, such as an aluminum alloy micro-channel cooling plate and a low viscosity electronic fluorinated liquid, to achieve high heat dissipation density. However, the pipeline of the liquid cooling system is complex, the weight increases, and the maintenance cost is high, which is not suitable for the dynamic environment of the joint.

[0004] The existing technology has obvious deficiencies in joint heat dissipation: the heat dissipation efficiency and power density are not matched, the traditional heat dissipation scheme is difficult to cope with high heat flow density joints, resulting in local overheating of the joint; the frequent movement and vibration of the joint will challenge the reliability of the heat dissipation structure, and the existing scheme is difficult to run stably for a long time; the internal space of the joint is limited, and the traditional heat dissipation components occupy valuable space, increase the overall weight, and affect the motion performance of the robot. SUMMARY

[0005] In order to overcome the technical problems of low efficiency, poor reliability and large space occupation in the existing robot joint heat dissipation, the present application provides a joint heat dissipation structure and a robot.

[0006] The technical scheme adopted by the present application to solve its technical problems is: The joint heat dissipation structure comprises a joint, the joint has an outer shell, an accommodation cavity is formed on the inner side of the outer shell, a motor is fixedly arranged in the accommodation cavity, and a heat dissipation assembly is further arranged, which is used for reducing the internal temperature of the accommodation cavity, the heat dissipation assembly is a pulsating heat pipe, the pulsating heat pipe comprises an evaporation section and a condensation section, the evaporation section is attached to the outer wall of the motor, and the condensation section is attached to the inner wall of the outer shell.

[0007] In the present application, the pulsating heat pipe is used for heat dissipation, based on the principle of phase change heat transfer, without additional fan or pump, relying on heat driving to realize self-excited oscillation flow, significantly reducing the overall energy consumption of the robot; the pulsating heat pipe occupies small space and has light weight, effectively improving the joint motion flexibility and load capacity, without complex pipeline or pump body, simple structure, low maintenance cost, suitable for long-term stable operation; the condensation section is attached to the inner wall of the shell, which can heat the joint shell while dissipating heat, without additional energy consumption to provide a warm touch, enhancing user experience.

[0008] In some embodiments, the evaporation section is attached to the outer wall of the motor in a spiral winding manner.

[0009] In some embodiments, the condensation section is also attached to the inner wall of the shell in a spiral manner.

[0010] In some embodiments, the motor axis direction and the shell length extension direction are consistent, and the evaporation section and the condensation section are connected by a variable diameter section.

[0011] In some embodiments, the evaporation section has 3-12 winding turns, and the spacing between adjacent turns is 1-10mm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the shell is made of one of polyimide copper clad film, carbon fiber reinforced composite material or titanium alloy, and a preset heat dissipation area is provided on the surface for attaching the condensation section.

[0013] In some embodiments, the outer layer of the pulsating heat pipe is made of one or more combinations of fluororubber, silicone rubber, polyimide, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide copper clad film or aluminum foil-PET composite film, and the inner layer is made of copper corrugated pipe as the main heat conducting body, the inner diameter of the corrugated pipe is 3-10mm, the wall thickness is 0.1-2mm, and the length is 10-1000mm.

[0014] In some embodiments, the pulsating heat pipe is filled with a working medium selected from one or more combinations of water, acetone, ethanol, HFE-7000 fluorinated liquid, MnCoFeO4@H2O nanofluid or Al2O3@H2O nanofluid, and the filling ratio is 45%-60%.

[0015] In some embodiments, the working medium is MnCoFeO4@H2O nanofluid, and the nanoparticle concentration is 5%-10%.

[0016] The present application also provides a robot comprising the joint heat dissipation structure of any of the above embodiments.

[0017] The present application has the following advantages: The heat dissipation is performed by using the pulsating heat pipe, is based on the phase change heat transfer principle, does not need additional fan or pump, and is completely driven by heat to realize self-excited oscillation flow, significantly reduces the overall energy consumption of the robot, the pulsating heat pipe occupies small space, and the weight is light, the joint movement flexibility and load capacity are effectively improved, the complex pipeline or pump body is not needed, the structure is simple, the maintenance cost is low, and the long-term stable operation is suitable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the joint heat dissipation structure is provided. Figure 2 A three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the joint heat dissipation structure is provided. Figure 1 A structure schematic diagram of the joint heat dissipation structure after opening the shell is provided. Figure 3 A structure schematic diagram of the joint heat dissipation structure after opening the shell is provided. Figure 1 A connection state schematic diagram of the pulsating heat pipe and the motor is provided. Figure 4 A connection state schematic diagram of the pulsating heat pipe and the motor is provided. Figure 1 A connection state schematic diagram of the pulsating heat pipe and the joint shell is provided.

[0019] In the figure, 1 is a joint, 11 is a shell, 12 is a support plate, 13 is a pulsating heat pipe, 14 is a fixed support, 15 is a motor, 16 is a screw, 131 is an evaporation section, and 132 is a condensation section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The application will be further described below in combination with the drawings.

[0021] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the application more clear, the application will be further described in combination with the drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific examples described herein are only used to explain the application and not to limit the application.

[0022] Example 1 As shown in the drawings, the application provides a joint heat dissipation structure and a robot. Figures 1-4

[0023] The joint heat dissipation structure comprises a joint 1, the joint 1 has a shell 11, an accommodation cavity is formed on the inner side of the shell 11, a motor 15 is fixedly arranged in the accommodation cavity, and a heat dissipation assembly is further arranged, which is used to reduce the temperature inside the accommodation cavity.

[0024] Based on the technical problem that the traditional heat dissipation assembly occupies valuable space, increases the overall weight, and affects the motion performance of the robot in the prior art, the application provides a high-efficiency, reliable and light heat dissipation assembly.

[0025] ​Specifically, the heat dissipation assembly is a pulsating heat pipe 13, which comprises an evaporation section 131 and a condensation section 132. The evaporation section 131 is attached to the outer wall of the motor 15, and the condensation section 132 is attached to the inner wall of the shell 11, forming a heat dissipation loop.

[0026] In this application, the pulsating heat pipe 13 is used for heat dissipation, which is based on the principle of phase change heat transfer, does not require additional fans or pumps, and relies entirely on thermal drive to achieve self-excited oscillation flow, significantly reducing the overall energy consumption of the robot; the pulsating heat pipe 13 occupies a small space and has a light weight, effectively improving the motion flexibility and load capacity of the joint 1, without the need for complex pipelines or pumps, the structure is simple, the maintenance cost is low, and it is suitable for long-term stable operation; the condensation section 132 is attached to the inner wall of the shell 11, which can heat the shell 11 of the joint 1 while dissipating heat, without additional energy consumption to provide a warm touch, enhancing user experience.

[0027] Obviously, as long as the evaporation section 131 and the condensation section 132 of the pulsating heat pipe 13 are attached to the outer wall of the motor 15 and the inner wall of the shell 11 respectively as described above, the foregoing functions can be achieved. Based on the fact that the pulsating heat pipe 13 can still maintain high thermal conductivity under bending conditions, the structure and distribution of the pulsating heat pipe 13 are further optimized in this embodiment. As preferred, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In order to improve the heat dissipation efficiency, in this embodiment, the evaporation section 131 is attached to the outer wall of the motor 15 in a spiral winding manner.

[0028] In this embodiment, the evaporation section 131 is fixed to the outer wall of the motor 15 by fluororubber adhesive to ensure the stability of the heat pipe during the movement of the joint 1, avoiding loosening or falling off.

[0029] Further, referring to Figure 4 The condensation section 132 is also attached to the inner wall of the shell 11 in a spiral manner.

[0030] In practice, the condensation section 132 is fixed to the inner wall of the shell 11 by silicone sealant or epoxy resin adhesive to ensure close contact between the pulsating heat pipe 13 and the shell 11.

[0031] As preferred, based on the distribution positions of the evaporation section 131 and the condensation section 132, the motor 15 is configured to have the same direction as the length extension direction of the shell 11, referring to Figure 4 The evaporation section 131 and the condensation section 132 are connected by a variable diameter section. Here, the axial direction of the motor 15 refers to the axial direction corresponding to the cylindrical shell of the motor 15.

[0032] In this way, the pulsating heat pipe 13 is easy to process and implement, taking into account the heat dissipation efficiency, and at the same time, the motor 15 is distributed more compactly and reasonably in the joint 1, facilitating the optimization of the distribution position of the internal components of the accommodating cavity.

[0033] It is obvious that the motor 15 can be fixed in the accommodating cavity by various existing fixing methods. Based on the foregoing distribution position of the motor 15, in the embodiment, the motor 15 is fixed by the support plate 12 and the fixing support 14. The support plate 12 is arranged inside the joint 1 to support the structure of the joint 1, and the fixing support 14 is connected to the support plate 12, and the motor 15 is connected to the fixing support 14. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the motor 15 and the fixing support 14 are fixed and connected by the screws 16. In the embodiment, the other end of the fixing support 14 is also connected to the support plate 12 by the screws 16, thereby forming the main support structure of the joint 1. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Further, in the embodiment, the inner wall of the fixing support 14 is provided with a heat dissipation groove to enhance the heat exchange efficiency with the motor 15.

[0034] Further, in the embodiment, the inner wall of the fixing support 14 is provided with a heat dissipation groove to enhance the heat exchange efficiency with the motor 15.

[0035] In the embodiment, the evaporation section 131 is wound for 4 turns, and the distance between adjacent turns is 8 mm. In practice, as preferred, the evaporation section 131 is wound for 3-12 turns, and the distance between adjacent turns is 1-10 mm.

[0036] In the embodiment, the shell 11 is made of polyimide copper clad laminate. In practice, as preferred, one of carbon fiber reinforced composite material or titanium alloy can also be selected. In practice, the shell 11 can be formed by CNC machining or vacuum assisted resin transfer molding process. The inner surface of the shell 11 is provided with a preset heat dissipation area for attaching the condensation section 132. The setting position of the pulsating heat pipe 13 can be adaptively adjusted based on the preset heat dissipation area.

[0037] In the embodiment, the pulsating heat pipe 13 adopts fluororubber / silicon rubber composite structure as the outer protective material, and copper bellows as the inner heat conducting body. The inner diameter of the copper bellows is 3 mm, the wall thickness is 0.3 mm, and the length is 290 mm.

[0038] In practice, as preferred, the outer layer of the pulsating heat pipe 13 adopts one or a combination of fluororubber, silicon rubber, polyimide, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide copper clad laminate or aluminum foil-PET composite film, and the inner layer adopts copper bellows as the heat conducting body. The inner diameter of the bellows is 3-10 mm, the wall thickness is 0.1-2 mm, and the length is 10-1000 mm.

[0039] In the embodiment, the pulsating heat pipe 13 is filled with HFE-7000 fluorinated liquid as the working medium, and the filling ratio is 50%. The HFE-7000 fluorinated liquid has excellent insulation performance and thermal stability, and does not need an additional fan or pump, but relies on thermal driving to achieve self-excited oscillation flow.

[0040] Alternatively, the working fluid filled in the pulsating heat pipe 13 can be selected from one or more combinations of water, acetone, ethanol, HFE-7000 fluorinated liquid, MnCoFeO4@H2O nanofluid or Al2O3@H2O nanofluid, and the filling ratio is 45%-60%.

[0041] Embodiment two The difference between this embodiment and embodiment one is that the outer protective material of the pulsating heat pipe 13, the size of the inner copper bellows and the internal filling working fluid material are different.

[0042] Specifically, the pulsating heat pipe 13 uses polyimide copper clad film and aluminum foil-PET composite film as the outer protective material, and the inner layer uses copper bellows as the heat conduction main body. The inner diameter of the copper bellows is 5 mm, the wall thickness is 0.2 mm, and the length is 250 mm.

[0043] The pulsating heat pipe 13 is filled with MnCoFeO4@H2O nanofluid as the working fluid, the nanoparticle concentration is 8%, and the filling ratio is 45%. The MnCoFeO4@H2O nanofluid is a magnetic nanofluid, has excellent heat conduction performance and thermal stability, can maintain stable phase change characteristics within the operating temperature range (0-100℃) of the motor 15, can provide additional magnetorheological effect with the help of the magnetic field of the motor 15, and can enhance the heat dissipation efficiency.

[0044] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement and improvement within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A joint heat dissipation structure, comprising a joint (1), the joint (1) having a shell (11), an inner cavity formed inside the shell (11), a motor (15) fixedly disposed within the cavity, and a heat dissipation assembly for reducing the internal temperature of the cavity, characterized in that, The heat dissipation component is a pulsating heat pipe (13), which includes an evaporation section (131) and a condensation section (132). The evaporation section (131) is attached to the outer wall of the motor (15), and the condensation section (132) is attached to the inner wall of the outer shell (11).

2. The joint heat dissipation structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The evaporation section (131) is attached to the outer wall of the motor (15) by spiral winding.

3. The joint heat dissipation structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The condensation section (132) is also spirally distributed and attached to the inner wall of the outer shell (11).

4. The joint heat dissipation structure as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The axial direction of the motor (15) is consistent with the length extension direction of the outer casing (11), and the evaporation section (131) and the condensation section (132) are connected by a variable diameter section.

5. The joint heat dissipation structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The evaporation section (131) has 3-12 turns, and the distance between adjacent turns is 1-10mm.

6. The joint heat dissipation structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer shell (11) is made of polyimide copper-clad film, carbon fiber reinforced composite material or titanium alloy, and has a preset heat dissipation area on its surface for fitting the condensation section (132).

7. The joint heat dissipation structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer layer of the pulsating heat pipe (13) is made of one or more of the following materials: fluororubber, silicone rubber, polyimide, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide copper-clad film, or aluminum foil-PET composite film. The inner layer is made of copper corrugated pipe as the heat conduction body. The inner diameter of the corrugated pipe is 3-10 mm, the wall thickness is 0.1-2 mm, and the length is 10-1000 mm.

8. The joint heat dissipation structure as described in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The pulsating heat pipe (13) is filled with a working fluid, which is selected from one or more combinations of water, acetone, ethanol, HFE-7000 fluorinated liquid, MnCoFeO4@H2O nanofluid or Al2O3@H2O nanofluid, with a filling ratio of 45%-60%.

9. The joint heat dissipation structure as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The working fluid is MnCoFeO4@H2O nanofluid with a nanoparticle concentration of 5%-10%.

10. A robot, characterized by, It also includes the joint heat dissipation structure as described in any one of claims 1-9.

Images