A quadruped robot joint power module

Abstract

A quadruped robot joint power module includes a housing, and a motor and a reducer arranged in the housing, wherein the motor includes a stator core inner ring and an outer rotor magnet holder, and the reducer includes a sun gear, a planetary gear, a planetary gear support shaft, a planetary reducer gear ring, and a torque output flange. The stator core inner ring is fixedly arranged in the housing, the outer rotor magnet holder is sleeved on the circumference of the stator core inner ring, the torque output flange is rotatably arranged on the housing, the planetary gear support shaft is fixedly arranged on the torque output flange, the planetary gear is sleeved on the circumference of the planetary gear support shaft, the sun gear is fixedly arranged on the outer rotor magnet holder, a plurality of the planetary gears are arranged around the circumference of the sun gear, and the planetary reducer gear ring is fixedly arranged in the housing and sleeved on the circumference of a plurality of the planetary gears. The motor and reducer of the present invention are integrated, which reduces space occupation and has a fast joint response speed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of robots, and in particular to a joint power module of a quadruped robot. Background Art

[0002] Currently, many research institutions around the world are actively designing quadruped robots, and quadruped robots are gradually being commercialized. Due to the constraints of structure, gravity, power, and strength, most common quadruped robots weigh between 20 kg and 100 kg, which is costly. In addition, their large size and weight seriously affect the speed of product commercialization. Therefore, how to make them lighter and smaller has become the key to breaking through the commercialization of quadruped robots.

[0003] As mentioned above, making the quadruped robot lighter, smaller and cheaper is a key point. The above points are in the core components of the quadruped robot, and the design of the joint power module is exactly what this application is going to describe. The joint power module design of the conventional robot directly superimposes the motor and the reducer in the axial direction, which will cause the axial size to be too large, which is not conducive to minimizing the space of the multi-joint of the quadruped robot, and because the motor and the reducer are designed separately, redundant parts are added, which is not conducive to reducing weight. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a quadruped robot joint power module, in which the motor and the reducer are integrated, which effectively saves space, has a small moment of inertia of the torque output flange, and has a fast response speed of the executing joint.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a four-legged robot joint power module, including a shell, and a motor and a reducer arranged in the shell, the motor including a stator core inner ring and an outer rotor magnet holder, the reducer including a sun gear, a planetary gear, a planetary gear support shaft, a planetary reducer gear ring, and a torque output flange, the stator core inner ring is fixedly arranged in the shell, the outer rotor magnet holder is sleeved on the circumference of the stator core inner ring, and the inner wall of the outer rotor magnet holder is provided with a rotor magnet group, the torque output flange is rotatably arranged on the shell, the planetary gear support shaft is fixedly arranged on the torque output flange, the planetary gear is sleeved on the circumference of the planetary gear support shaft, the sun gear is fixedly arranged on the central axis of the outer rotor magnet holder, a plurality of the planetary gears are arranged around the circumference of the sun gear, and the sun gear is meshed with the planetary gears, the planetary reducer gear ring is fixedly arranged in the shell and sleeved on the circumference of a plurality of the planetary gears, and the planetary gears are meshed with the planetary reducer gear ring.

[0006] Furthermore, an encoder magnet is provided at the center of the outer rotor magnet holder, and a position encoder chip for detecting rotation information of the encoder magnet is provided on the outer shell.

[0007] Furthermore, an ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element is fixedly provided on the outer rotor magnet retaining frame, and the ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element is used to detect the alternation of magnetic poles between the inner ring of the stator core and the rotor magnet group, and the ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element is electrically connected to the position encoder chip.

[0008] Furthermore, the reducer also includes a planetary reducer bracket, one end of the planetary gear support shaft is fixedly connected to the flange, and the other end of the planetary gear support shaft is fixedly connected to the planetary reducer bracket.

[0009] Furthermore, the planetary reducer bracket is accommodated in the inner space of the outer rotor magnet holder.

[0010] Furthermore, a working opening corresponding to the torque output flange is opened on the shell, and the planetary gear support shaft passes through the torque output flange and extends out from the working opening.

[0011] Furthermore, a thin wall for placing a gear ring is integrally formed in the shell, and the gear ring of the planetary reducer is fixedly assembled in the thin wall for placing the gear ring.

[0012] Furthermore, the central portion of the outer rotor magnet holder is rotatably connected to the housing via a rotor bearing, and the end of the sun gear is rotatably connected to the torque output flange via a sun gear rotating bearing.

[0013] Furthermore, the housing includes a fixed main shell and an output component end cover, and the fixed main shell and the output component end cover are provided with corresponding fixing holes, and the output component end cover is fixedly connected to the fixed main shell by inserting the fixing parts into the fixing holes in sequence.

[0014] Furthermore, the output component end cover comprises a central body and an annular body, the central body and the annular body are disposed internally and externally, and the annular body is fixedly connected to the central body via a plurality of connecting support wings.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the motor and reducer of the present invention are of a series structure, that is, the motor and the reducer are superimposed in the axial length, so that the motor and the reducer can be assembled and tested separately, which is convenient for the assembly of the quadruped robot; by integrating the motor and the reducer, the design of redundant components is reduced, and the axial length and weight are significantly reduced, which is beneficial to minimizing the space of multiple joints of the quadruped robot, reducing the superposition and coupling of multiple components, and improving the demand for precision; and, the present invention adopts an outer rotor motor, and the outer rotor magnet retaining frame is connected to the torque output flange through a planetary reducer gear set, so that the rotational inertia of the torque output flange is small, and the robot execution joint response speed will be faster. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1is a schematic diagram of the front viewing angle structure of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the rear viewing angle structure of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 is a front-view exploded view of parts of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 is a rear-view exploded view of parts of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Sectional view at AA;

[0022] Figure 7 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Cross-sectional view at BB.

[0024] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0025] 1- Shell;

[0026] 11-Fixed main housing; 12-Output assembly end cover; 13-Motor drive circuit board; 14-Rear protection end cover;

[0027] 121-thin wall for placing the gear ring; 122-working opening; 123-fixing hole; 124-fixing piece; 125-center body; 126-ring edge body; 127-connecting support wing;

[0028] 21- stator core inner ring; 22- outer rotor magnet holder; 23- outer rotor magnet group; 24- encoder magnet; 25- ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element; 26- rotor bearing; 27- sun gear rotating bearing;

[0029] 31-sun gear; 32-planetary gear; 33-planetary gear support shaft; 34-planetary reducer gear ring; 35-torque output flange; 36-planetary reducer bracket; 37-connecting hole; 38-torque output end bearing; 39-planetary gear fixed bearing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] See also Figure 1-2 The present invention relates to a quadruped robot joint power module, comprising a housing 1, and a motor and a reducer arranged in the housing 1, such as Figure 3-4The motor includes a stator core inner ring 21, an outer rotor magnet holder 22, and the reducer includes a sun gear 31, a planetary gear 32, a planetary gear support shaft 33, a planetary reducer gear ring 34, and a torque output flange 35. Figure 5-8 The stator core inner ring 21 is fixed in the outer casing 1, the outer rotor magnet holder 22 is sleeved on the circumference of the stator core inner ring 21, and the inner wall of the outer rotor magnet holder 22 is provided with a rotor magnet group, the torque output flange 35 is rotatably arranged on the outer casing 1, the planetary gear support shaft 33 is fixed on the torque output flange 35, the planetary gear 32 is sleeved on the circumference of the planetary gear support shaft 33, the sun gear 31 is fixed on the central axis of the outer rotor magnet holder 22, a plurality of the planetary gears 32 are arranged around the circumference of the sun gear 31, and the sun gear 31 is meshed with the planetary gears 32, the planetary reducer ring gear 34 is fixed in the outer casing 1 and sleeved on the circumference of a plurality of the planetary gears 32, and the planetary gears 32 are meshed with the planetary reducer ring gear 34.

[0031] The joint power module of the quadruped robot provided by the present invention is mainly composed of three parts: an outer rotor motor, a built-in planetary reducer and an outer fixed shell. The stator core inner ring 21 is fixedly assembled in the outer shell 1, and the outer rotor magnet holder 22 is rotatably connected to the outer shell 1 and sleeved on the circumference of the stator core inner ring 21. It is easy to understand that the motor also includes a driver, which is used to control the rotor magnet group in the outer rotor magnet holder 22 and the stator core inner ring 21 to rotate relative to each other, so that the outer rotor magnet holder 22 rotates. It is obvious that the structure and connection method of the rest of the motor can adopt the settings of the existing outer rotor motor; similarly, the structure and connection method of the rest of the reducer can adopt the settings of the existing reducer, which will not be repeated here.

[0032] The working principle of the quadruped robot joint power module of the present invention is as follows:

[0033] like Figure 8 As shown, when working, the inner ring 21 of the stator core is fixed, the outer rotor magnet holder 22 rotates by magnetic action with the inner ring 21 of the stator core through the outer rotor magnet group 23 thereon, and the sun gear 31 rotates synchronously with the outer rotor magnet holder 22; the sun gear 31 drives the three planetary gears 32 to rotate by meshing with the three planetary gears 32, and the three planetary gears 32 mesh with the planetary reducer gear ring 34 while rotating, thereby forming an orbit around the sun gear 31 and completing the deceleration effect. The three planetary gears 32 drive the torque output flange 35 to make circular motion through the three planetary gear support shafts 33, and the torque after deceleration is output by the torque output flange 35, and finally the motor outputs the torque through the reducer.

[0034] The motor and reducer of the present invention are in series structure, that is, the motor and reducer are superimposed in axial length, which is specifically manifested as the spatial position of the planetary reducer gear set (sun gear 31, planetary gear 32, planetary reducer gear ring 34) and the motor stator set (stator core inner ring 21) being length superposition, so that the motor and reducer can be assembled and tested separately, which is convenient for the assembly of the quadruped robot; by integrating the motor and reducer, the design of redundant components is reduced, the axial length and weight are significantly reduced, which is conducive to minimizing the space of the multi-joint of the quadruped robot, reducing the superposition coupling of multiple components, and improving the demand for accuracy; and, the present invention adopts an outer rotor motor, and the outer rotor magnet holder 22 is connected to the torque output flange 35 through the planetary reducer gear set, so that the moment of inertia of the torque output flange 35 is small, and the robot execution joint response speed will be faster. In addition, the motor and reducer parts are surrounded and protected by the shell 1, and when the joint is impacted by external force, it will not directly impact the motor and reducer parts, thereby improving the strength.

[0035] See also Figure 1-4 As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the housing 1 includes a fixed main shell 11 and an output component end cover 12. The fixed main shell 11 and the output component end cover 12 are provided with corresponding fixing holes 123. The fixing members 124 are inserted into the fixing holes 123 in sequence, and the output component end cover 12 is fixedly connected to the fixed main shell 11.

[0036] In this embodiment, the output assembly end cover 12 is provided at the front end of the fixed main housing 11. It should be noted that the front end of the fixed main housing 11 refers to the end where the torque is output, and the rear end of the fixed main housing 11 refers to the end opposite to the front end. The rear end of the fixed main housing 11 is also provided with a motor drive circuit board 13, on which a drive circuit is integrated to control the rotation of the motor. The surface cover of the motor drive circuit board 13 is provided with a rear protective end cover 14.

[0037] The fixing hole 123 in this embodiment is a threaded hole, and the fixing member 124 is a bolt. When the main housing 11 and the output component end cover 12 are fitted together, the threaded holes of the two are aligned one by one, and the bolts are screwed into the threaded holes to fix the main housing 11 and the output component end cover 12 together. The above method makes the assembly method of the housing 1 simple and easy to disassemble and repair. The front and rear end covers are designed with planes to further reduce the axial size.

[0038] See also Figure 3-4 As a preferred embodiment of this embodiment, the output component end cover 12 includes a central body 125 and an annular body 126 , the central body 125 and the annular body 126 are arranged inside and outside, and the annular body 126 is fixedly connected to the central body 125 through a plurality of connecting support wings 127 .

[0039] The central body 125 and the annular body 126 are connected by a plurality of radially distributed connecting support wings 127. The use of a floor opening design saves raw materials, reduces manufacturing costs, and reduces the weight of the output component end cover 12. The closed design can be used as an alternative solution to prevent water and dust. Similarly, the fixed main housing 11 also adopts the above-mentioned hollow structure, which will not be repeated.

[0040] As a preferred mode of this embodiment, the stator core coil is fixed in the fixed main housing 11 and directly serves as the torque output fixed part, so that the motor part is simple in design.

[0041] See also Figure 3-4 As a preferred embodiment of this embodiment, an encoder magnet 24 is provided at the center of the outer rotor magnet holder 22, and a position encoder chip for detecting the rotation information of the encoder magnet 24 is provided on the fixed main housing 11.

[0042] The position encoder chip is integrated on the motor drive circuit board 13. When the encoder magnet 24 rotates, the position encoder chip can identify the rotational position of the encoder magnet 24 by analyzing the output voltage signal generated by the magnetic field change, thereby accurately reflecting the relative electrical angle position of the rotor and stator, and providing accurate position feedback signal for servo control.

[0043] See also Figure 3-4 As a preferred embodiment of this embodiment, an ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element 25 is fixedly provided on the outer rotor magnet retaining frame 22. The ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element 25 is used to detect the magnetic pole replacement between the stator core inner ring 21 and the rotor magnet group. The ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element 25 is electrically connected to the position encoder chip.

[0044] The motor outputs torque through the reducer. For this joint assembly, the torque output flange 35 rotates 180 degrees, and the motor (outer rotor magnet holder 22) needs to rotate 3 times. Therefore, the encoder can only record the relative position of the outer rotor magnet group 23 and the stator core inner ring 21, and convert this position to the absolute position of the torque output flange 35. After the system is powered on, the absolute position needs to find the zero point again every time.

[0045] In order to solve the problem of maintaining and tracking the absolute position after shutdown, the present embodiment is provided with an ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element 25 at the circumferential edge of the outer rotor magnet holder 22. It should be noted that the ultra-low power consumption here refers to that after the system is powered off, the ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element 25 only needs 10 microamperes of current to work. After the system is powered off, this ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element 25 works at ultra-low power consumption. When the legs are touched by the outside world, the rotor part will be forced to rotate. At this time, the outer rotor magnet holder 22 will rotate. The ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element 25 on the outer rotor magnet holder 22 will detect the change of magnetic level, and quickly trigger the position encoder chip to wake up and restore the working state, and perform accurate counting. In this way, after the system is powered off, when it is powered on again, the robot's main control CPU reads the position information of the torque output flange 35 on the position encoder chip, eliminating the trouble of re-zeroing every time the power is turned on. It should be noted that the wake-up circuit of the position encoder chip of the ultra-low power Hall detection element 25 pair here can adopt the existing technology in the field. The specific setting of the wake-up circuit is not the content to be protected by the present invention, so the present invention does not limit or elaborate on the specific setting of the wake-up circuit.

[0046] As a preferred embodiment of this embodiment, the reducer further includes a planetary reducer bracket 36 , one end of the planetary gear support shaft 33 is fixedly connected to the flange, and the other end of the planetary gear support shaft 33 is fixedly connected to the planetary reducer bracket 36 .

[0047] The planetary reducer bracket and the torque output flange 35 are respectively located at the front and rear sides of the planetary gear 32. The three planetary gear support shafts 33 are fixed on the planetary reducer bracket in an equilateral triangle position. The torque output flange 35 is connected to the three planetary gear support shafts 33. The three planetary gears 32 are sleeved on their respective planetary gear support shafts 33 through planetary gear fixed bearings 39. The planetary reducer bracket provides a stable installation position for the three planetary gear support shafts 33 and the three planetary gears 32, ensuring the stability of the rotation and revolution of the planetary gears 32.

[0048] See also Figure 3-4 , 7-8, as a preferred embodiment of this embodiment, the planetary reducer bracket 36 is accommodated in the internal space of the outer rotor magnet retaining frame 22.

[0049] Specifically, a hollow cylindrical seat for mounting the sun gear 31 is provided on the central axis of the outer rotor magnet holder 22, one end of the sun gear 31 is inserted into the hollow cylindrical seat, and the planetary reducer bracket 36 is sleeved on the circumference of the hollow cylindrical seat through a bearing. By leaving space inside the outer rotor magnet holder 22 to accommodate the planetary reducer bracket 36, the axial height of the quadruped robot joint power module is reduced, effectively saving space occupation.

[0050] See also Figure 1-4 As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a working port 122 corresponding to the torque output flange 35 is provided on the output component end cover 12 , and the planetary gear support shaft 33 penetrates the torque output flange 35 and extends out from the working port 122 .

[0051] The torque output flange 35 is exposed from the working port 122 on the output assembly end cover 12. The end surface of the torque output flange 35 is provided with connection holes 37 at positions corresponding to the three planetary gear support shafts 33. The planetary gear support shafts 33 pass through the connection holes 37 and protrude in a pin shape, serving as a connection pin for connecting the next level. The planetary gear support shafts 33 pass through the connection holes 37 on the torque output flange 35 and protrude a section to become radial torque pins, thereby increasing the radial torsional strength.

[0052] See also Figure 3-4 As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a gear ring placement thin wall 121 is integrally formed in the output assembly end cover 12 , and the planetary reducer gear ring 34 is fixedly assembled in the gear ring placement thin wall 121 .

[0053] The output component end cover 12 is provided with a thin wall 121 for placing a ring gear, and the planetary reducer ring gear 34 is installed in the thin wall 121 for placing the ring gear. No extra parts are required to fill the planetary reducer ring gear 34 and the output component end cover 12, thereby reducing the processing difficulty.

[0054] As a preferred mode of this embodiment, the central part of the outer rotor magnet retaining frame 22 is rotatably connected to the fixed main housing 11 through the rotor bearing 26, and the end of the sun gear 31 is rotatably connected to the torque output flange 35 through the sun gear 31 rotating bearing 27.

[0055] With the above solution, the outer rotor magnet holder 22 and the sun gear 31 are both connected to the housing 1, which ensures the smooth movement of the outer rotor magnet holder 22 and the sun gear 31, while reducing the wear during the rotation process through the bearing.

[0056] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the torque output flange 35 is rotatably connected to the output assembly end cover 12 via a torque output end bearing 38 .

[0057] The torque output flange 35 is assembled in the output assembly end cover 12 through the torque output end bearing 38 , which ensures the smooth movement of the torque output flange 35 and reduces the wear of the torque output flange 35 .

[0058] The above implementation modes are merely descriptions of the preferred implementation modes of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Without departing from the design spirit of the present invention, various modifications and improvements made to the technical solutions of the present invention by ordinary engineering and technical personnel in the field shall fall within the protection scope determined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A quadruped robot joint power module, characterized in that: It comprises a housing, and a motor and a reducer arranged in the housing, wherein the motor comprises an inner ring of a stator core and an outer rotor magnet holder, and the reducer comprises a sun gear, a planetary gear, a planetary gear support shaft, a planetary reducer gear ring, and a torque output flange, wherein the inner ring of the stator core is fixedly arranged in the housing, the outer rotor magnet holder is sleeved on the circumference of the inner ring of the stator core, and a rotor magnet group is arranged on the inner wall of the outer rotor magnet holder, the torque output flange is rotatably arranged on the housing, the planetary gear support shaft is fixedly arranged on the torque output flange, the planetary gear is sleeved on the circumference of the planetary gear support shaft, the sun gear is fixedly arranged on the central axis of the outer rotor magnet holder, a plurality of the planetary gears are arranged around the circumference of the sun gear, and the sun gear is meshed with the planetary gears, the planetary reducer gear ring is fixedly arranged in the housing and sleeved on the circumference of a plurality of the planetary gears, and the planetary gears are meshed with the planetary reducer gear ring; The reducer also includes a planetary reducer bracket, one end of the planetary gear support shaft is fixedly connected to the flange, and the other end of the planetary gear support shaft is fixedly connected to the planetary reducer bracket; The planetary reducer bracket is accommodated in the internal space of the outer rotor magnet holder; The motor further comprises a driver, which is used to control the relative rotation between the rotor magnet group in the outer rotor magnet holder and the inner ring of the stator core.

2. A quadruped robot joint power module according to claim 1, characterized in that: An encoder magnet is arranged at the center of the outer rotor magnet holder, and a position encoder chip for detecting rotation information of the encoder magnet is arranged on the housing.

3. A quadruped robot joint power module according to claim 2, characterized in that: An ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element is fixedly arranged on the outer rotor magnet holder, and the ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element is used to detect the magnetic pole alternation between the inner ring of the stator core and the rotor magnet group, and the ultra-low power consumption Hall detection element is electrically connected to the position encoder chip.

4. A quadruped robot joint power module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell is provided with a working opening corresponding to the torque output flange, and the planetary gear support shaft penetrates the torque output flange and extends out from the working opening.

5. A quadruped robot joint power module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A gear ring placement thin wall is integrally formed in the shell, and the planetary reducer gear ring is fixedly assembled in the gear ring placement thin wall.

6. A quadruped robot joint power module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central part of the outer rotor magnet holder is rotatably connected to the housing through a rotor bearing, and the end of the sun gear is rotatably connected to the torque output flange through a sun gear rotating bearing.

7. A quadruped robot joint power module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing comprises a fixed main shell and an output component end cover, wherein the fixed main shell and the output component end cover are provided with corresponding fixing holes, and the output component end cover is fixedly connected to the fixed main shell by inserting fixing members into the fixing holes in sequence.

8. A quadruped robot joint power module according to claim 7, characterized in that: The output component end cover comprises a central body and an annular body, wherein the central body and the annular body are disposed inside and outside the central body, and the annular body is fixedly connected to the central body through a plurality of connecting support wings.

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