Collaborative robot and joint driving circuit and communication and power supply method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a collaborative robot and a joint driving circuit and a communication and power supply method thereof. The joint driving circuit comprises a single-pair Ethernet input interface, a first protection circuit, a first PHY chip, an EtherCAT slave station controller, a main control module, a direct-current power supply extraction module, a power supply interface and a power supply circuit. The power supply circuit is connected with the power supply interface or the direct-current power supply extraction module, and the direct-current power supply extraction module is connected with the single-pair Ethernet input interface; the single-pair Ethernet input interface is used for receiving a joint control alternating current signal and a direct current power supply signal, the first protection circuit is used for filtering the direct current power supply signal, and the first PHY chip is used for converting the joint control alternating current signal into a joint control data frame; the EtherCAT slave station controller is used for extracting current joint control data from the joint control data frame based on an EtherCAT bus protocol, and the master control module controls joint movement according to the current joint control data. According to the invention, EtherCAT data transmission and power supply can be realized only by using two cables.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to the technical field of robots, and particularly relates to a collaborative robot, a joint drive circuit thereof, and a communication and power supply method. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of automated manufacturing in various industries and the increasing demand for flexible manufacturing, the demand for collaborative robots is increasing. At present, the communication between the joints of collaborative robots is standard Ethernet cabling, and at least four wires are required for data transmission. The space in the holes of the collaborative robot joints is limited, occupying a relatively large amount of wiring space. The compact cables increase the risk of cable wear during the movement of the robot. In addition, the communication and power supply of collaborative robots are independent of each other. Once the power supply fails to work, it will directly cause the robot to crash, seriously affecting the customer experience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a collaborative robot, a joint drive circuit thereof, and a communication and power supply method, so as to solve the problems of more inter-axis communication wiring and single power supply in existing collaborative robots that are prone to cause the robot to crash.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a joint drive circuit of a collaborative robot, including: a single-pair Ethernet input interface, a first protection circuit, a first PHY chip, an EtherCAT slave controller, a main control module, a DC power extraction module, a power supply interface, and a power supply circuit;

[0005] Wherein, the single-pair Ethernet input interface is sequentially connected to the first protection circuit, the first PHY chip, the EtherCAT slave controller, and the main control module. The power supply circuit is connected to the power supply interface or the DC power extraction module, and the DC power extraction module is connected to the single-pair Ethernet input interface. The single-pair Ethernet input interface is used to receive the joint control AC signal and the DC power signal. The DC power extraction module is used to extract the DC power signal. The first protection circuit is used to filter the DC power signal. The first PHY chip is used to convert the joint control AC signal into a joint control data frame. The EtherCAT slave controller is used to extract the current joint control data from the joint control data frame based on the EtherCAT bus protocol and send the current joint control data to the main control module. The main control module controls the joint movement according to the current joint control data.

[0006] Optionally, it further includes: a second PHY chip, a second protection circuit, and a single-pair Ethernet output interface connected in sequence, where the second PHY chip is connected to the EtherCAT slave controller, and wherein the EtherCAT slave controller is further configured to send the extracted joint control data frame to the single-pair Ethernet input interface of the next joint through the second PHY chip, the second protection circuit, and the single-pair Ethernet output interface.

[0007] Optionally, it further includes: a DC power injection module and a discharge interface, where the power circuit is connected to the discharge interface or the DC power injection module, the DC power injection module is connected to the single-pair Ethernet output interface, the discharge interface is configured to be connected to the power supply interface of the next joint, and the single-pair Ethernet output interface is configured to be connected to the single-pair Ethernet input interface of the next joint.

[0008] Optionally, the power circuit is connected to the power supply interface and the DC power extraction module through an OR unit, and the DC power extraction module includes a coupling inductor.

[0009] Optionally, the first protection circuit includes: a common-mode inductor and an isolation transformer. One end of the isolation transformer is connected to the single-pair Ethernet input interface, the other end of the isolation transformer is connected to the common-mode inductor, the other end of the common-mode inductor is connected to the first PHY chip, the isolation transformer is configured to filter out the DC power signal, and the common-mode inductor is configured to suppress common-mode interference and balance signal transmission.

[0010] Optionally, the first protection circuit further includes: a common-mode termination circuit connected to the isolation transformer, and the common-mode termination circuit is configured to further suppress common-mode interference.

[0011] Optionally, the common-mode termination circuit includes a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a first resistor. The first capacitor is connected to the tap of the isolation transformer, and the first resistor and the second capacitor are connected in series with the first capacitor.

[0012] Optionally, the first protection circuit further includes: a transient surge suppressor connected in parallel with the first PHY chip, and the transient surge suppressor is configured to protect the first PHY chip from surge damage.

[0013] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a communication and power supply method, which is applied to the joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot as described above, and includes: providing two independent power supplies, one for supplying power to the joint drive circuit through a power supply interface, and the other for supplying power to the joint drive circuit by inputting a DC power signal through a single-pair Ethernet input interface; inputting a joint control AC signal to the joint drive circuit through the single-pair Ethernet input interface; converting the joint control AC signal into a joint control data frame; extracting current joint control data from the joint control data frame based on the EtherCAT bus protocol, and controlling joint movement according to the current joint control data.

[0014] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a collaborative robot, including the joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot as described above.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0016] The joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot of the present invention includes a single-pair Ethernet input interface, a first protection circuit, a first PHY chip, an EtherCAT slave controller, a main control module, a power supply interface, and a power supply circuit. It uses the single-pair Ethernet input interface to transmit EtherCAT data. The single-pair Ethernet input interface only uses two wires for data transmission, which is half of the standard Ethernet, reducing the difficulty of threading through the middle hole and the risk of cable wear; the Ethernet input interface combines data line power supply, transmitting power while transmitting data, and combining with the power supply interface for redundant power supply, bringing greater benefits in terms of user experience, fault diagnosis, and reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Including the drawings is to provide a further understanding of the present application. They are incorporated and constitute a part of the present application. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present application and, together with this specification, serve to explain the principles of the present application. In the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 is a system block diagram of a joint drive circuit of a collaborative robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2 is a circuit diagram of a first protection circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 is a connection schematic diagram of a single-pair Ethernet input interface and a power supply circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of a collaborative robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 5It is a flowchart of a communication and power supply method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation manners

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some examples or embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, the present application can also be applied to other similar scenarios based on these drawings. Unless obvious from the language context or otherwise stated, the same reference numerals in the figures represent the same structures or operations.

[0024] EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology) is a fieldbus technology based on industrial Ethernet. It features high speed and high data efficiency and supports multiple device connection topologies. The EtherCAT bus can be used for inter-axis communication of collaborative robots. However, the EtherCAT bus still uses standard Ethernet cabling, and at least four wires are required for data transmission. The space in the holes of the joints of collaborative robots is limited, occupying a relatively large amount of cabling space. The compact cables increase the risk of cable wear during robot movement. Secondly, current robot EtherCAT communication only transmits data, and the power supply uses a separate power cable.

[0025] In view of the above disadvantages, the present invention uses Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) instead of standard Ethernet to transmit EtherCAT data in collaborative robots. SPE only uses two wires for data transmission, which is half of that of standard Ethernet. Combining Power over Data Line (PoDL), power is transmitted while data is transmitted, and combined with the original power supply line for redundant power supply, bringing greater benefits in terms of user experience, fault diagnosis, and reliability. Power over Data Line (PoDL) is also known as SPoE (Power over Single Pair Ethernet), integrating Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) and power supply on one cable without adding extra lines.

[0026] Figure 1 It is a system block diagram of a joint drive circuit of a collaborative robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 1As shown in the figure, the joint drive circuit 100 of the collaborative robot includes: a single-pair Ethernet input interface 11, a first protection circuit 12, a first PHY chip 13, an EtherCAT Slave Controller (ESC) 4, a main control module 5, a DC power extraction module 32, a power supply interface 31, and a power circuit 6. Among them, the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11 is sequentially connected to the first protection circuit 12, the first PHY chip 13, the EtherCAT Slave Controller 4, and the main control module 5. The single-pair Ethernet input interface 11 is used to receive the joint control AC signal and the DC power signal. The first protection circuit 12 is used to filter out the DC power signal. The first PHY chip 13 is used to convert the joint control AC signal into a joint control data frame. The EtherCAT Slave Controller 4 is used to extract the current joint control data from the joint control data frame based on the EtherCAT bus protocol and send the current joint control data to the main control module 5. The main control module 5 controls the joint movement according to the current joint control data.

[0027] The entire EtherCAT structure includes a physical layer, a data link layer, and an application layer. The physical layer is used to transmit physical signals and is implemented by the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11, the first protection circuit 12, and the first PHY chip 13 of this application. The data link layer is used to transmit the data frames converted from physical signals and is implemented by the EtherCAT Slave Controller 4 of this application. The main control module 5 mainly implements the application layer and user-defined programs.

[0028] The physical layer circuit other than the PHY of the existing EtherCAT bus is a standard Ethernet circuit, which occupies a large circuit board area. Collaborative robots often use distributed control, and the drive board is installed at the joints where space resources are precious, which increases the difficulty of realizing the miniaturized design of the product.

[0029] Figure 2 is the circuit diagram of the first protection circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 2As shown, the first protection circuit includes a common-mode inductor L1 and an isolation transformer T1. One end of the isolation transformer T1 is connected to the single-pair Ethernet input interface, the other end of the isolation transformer T1 is connected to the common-mode inductor L1, and the other end of the common-mode inductor L1 is connected to the first PHY chip. The isolation transformer T1 is used to isolate signals to meet the high withstand voltage requirements, and at the same time filter out the DC power supply signal to achieve AC signal transmission. The common-mode inductor L1 is used to suppress common-mode interference and balance signal transmission. Common-mode interference refers to the interference current on two wires with equal amplitude and the same direction. The common-mode inductor L1 includes two coils wound on a ferrite core, and the number of turns of these two coils is equal but the winding directions are opposite. When a common-mode signal passes through, the magnetic fluxes in the ferrite magnetic ring will be superimposed on each other, resulting in a large inductance. This makes the coil exhibit a high impedance characteristic, and then generates a strong damping effect, effectively suppressing the common-mode current.

[0030] As Figure 2 shown, the first protection circuit further includes a common-mode termination circuit. The common-mode termination circuit includes a first capacitor C2, a second capacitor C3 and a first resistor R1. The first capacitor C2 is connected to the tap of the isolation transformer T1, and the first resistor R1 and the second capacitor C3 are connected in series with the first capacitor C2. The common-mode termination circuit is used to further suppress common-mode interference. The common-mode termination circuit uses the high-frequency low impedance of the capacitor to short-circuit the high-frequency interference signal, and the circuit is not affected at low frequencies.

[0031] As Figure 2 shown, the first protection circuit further includes a transient surge suppressor connected in parallel with the first PHY chip. The transient surge suppressor is used to protect the first PHY chip from surge damage. Surge refers to the peak value that appears instantaneously in the circuit and exceeds the stable value, also known as a spike, which includes surge voltage and surge current. The transient surge suppressor is a high-performance circuit protector that can suppress the transient high-voltage interference pulse to a predetermined voltage, thus effectively protecting the equipment and sensitive components from damage. The characteristic of the transient surge suppressor is that at normal voltage, it has no impact on the circuit operation. Once a high-pulse voltage arrives, the impedance of the surge protection device will become low, the current passing through it will increase, and it will conduct and shunt quickly, thus avoiding damage to other devices in the loop caused by the surge.

[0032] The joint drive circuit of this application enables the EtherCAT physical layer circuit to be more compact than the standard EtherCAT circuit, which is beneficial to the miniaturization design of the drive board and saves joint space resources. As Figure 1As shown in the figure, the joint drive circuit 100 of the collaborative robot further includes: a second PHY chip 23, a second protection circuit 22, and a single-pair Ethernet output interface 21 that are connected in sequence. The second PHY chip 23 is connected to the EtherCAT slave controller 4. Among them, the EtherCAT slave controller 4 is further configured to send the extracted joint control data frame to the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11 of the next joint through the second PHY chip 23, the second protection circuit 22, and the single-pair Ethernet output interface 21. The EtherCAT slave controller 4 of the present application reads the corresponding data packet when the packet passes through its node, and similarly, the input data is inserted into the packet when the packet passes through. The entire process has a time delay of only a few nanoseconds for the packet, and the real-time performance is greatly improved.

[0033] As Figure 1 shown in the figure, the power supply circuit 6 is connected to the power supply interface 31 or the DC power extraction module 32, and the DC power extraction module 32 is connected to the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11. The single-pair Ethernet input interface 11 is used to receive the joint control AC signal and the DC power signal. In other words, the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11 transmits power while transmitting data. The DC power extraction module 32 is used to extract the DC power signal. Optionally, the DC power extraction module 32 includes a coupled inductor.

[0034] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11 and the power supply circuit 6 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 3 shown in the figure, the power supply circuit 6 is connected to the power supply interface 31 through an OR unit, and the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11 is connected to the OR unit through a coupled inductor L2. When performing power transmission, the joint control AC signal and the DC power signal are received through the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11, and the DC power signal is extracted through the coupled inductor L2 to filter out the joint control AC signal. In this way, it can be realized that the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11 supplies power to the power supply circuit 6 through PoDL, and the power supply circuit 6 can also be powered through the power supply interface 31. In other words, the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11 of the joint drive circuit of the present application transmits power while transmitting data, and combines the conventional power cord power supply to achieve power supply redundancy, shorten the system recovery time, enhance the fault diagnosis ability, and improve the system reliability.

[0035] As Figure 1As shown, the joint drive circuit 100 of the collaborative robot also includes: a DC power injection module 42 and a discharge interface 41, the power circuit 6 is connected to the discharge interface 41 or the DC power injection module 42, and the DC power injection module 42 is connected to the single-pair Ethernet output interface 21. The discharge interface 41 is used to connect to the power supply interface 31 of the next joint, and the single-pair Ethernet output interface 21 is used to connect to the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11 of the next joint. Optionally, the DC power injection module 42 includes a coupling inductor. When power transmission is performed, the power circuit 6 couples the DC power signal to the single-pair Ethernet output interface 21 through the coupling inductor, so that the single-pair Ethernet output interface 21 can provide PoDL power supply to the next joint.

[0036] Redundant power supply demonstrates its advantages in the following scenarios.

[0037] (1) The conventional power supply interface is the power supply. When an emergency stop is triggered by a safety event, the power supply will be cut off. This is a better safety strategy for collaborative robots. When a single power supply is used, the entire body will be completely powered off, and the main control chips on the joint drive board will lose power. After the safety event is resolved, the power-on process needs to be restarted, which takes a long time and affects the user experience. With the existence of PoDL power supply, after the power supply is cut off, the logic control part of the body is still powered. After the safety event is resolved, the system does not need to be restarted and can quickly resume normal operation.

[0038] (2) The conventional power supply interface is a power supply. When using a single power supply, if the subsequent power supply is short-circuited, such as the input of the primary power chip is short-circuited to the ground, or the power device is short-circuited to the ground, the power supply will perform short-circuit protection. At this time, the entire body will be completely powered off, and the fault diagnosis information may not be reported in time, which makes it difficult to identify the cause of the fault and perform targeted problem repairs. The conventional solution is to use supercapacitors or batteries, but they are not the best choice in terms of safety, cost, volume, and packaging and transportation. With the existence of PoDL power supply, after the power supply is cut off, the logic control part of the body is still powered, and the fault diagnosis information can still be reported normally, which greatly enhances the diagnosability of the system and reduces costs.

[0039] (3) The conventional power supply interface is used to supply power to the system logic. When a single power supply is used, once a problem occurs in the logic power supply, the entire robot body will not work. The existence of PoDL power supply can realize dual redundant logic power supply of the system. If one power supply fails, it can be seamlessly switched to another one. The user will not be aware of the problem and normal use will not be affected. The robot system can report diagnostic information to troubleshoot problems and replace faulty parts when the robot is idle or under maintenance.

[0040] The present disclosure also provides a collaborative robot, which includes the joint driving circuit of the collaborative robot of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 4 It is a circuit diagram of a collaborative robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 4 shown, the collaborative robot includes an EtherCAT master station and multiple SPE EtherCAT-based drive boards. Each joint includes an SPE EtherCAT-based drive board (i.e., the joint drive circuit of the present application). Each joint drive circuit includes a power supply interface POWER IN, a discharge interface POWEROUT, a single-pair Ethernet input interface CON1, and a single-pair Ethernet output interface CON2. The EtherCAT master station and the SPE EtherCAT-based drive boards, as well as between two adjacent SPE EtherCAT-based drive boards, are all connected through single-pair Ethernet interfaces. The single-pair Ethernet interface can achieve Ethernet data transmission with only two wires, and at the same time, it can also supply power to the terminals through PoDL. For example, the single-pair Ethernet output interface CON1 of the EtherCAT master station is connected to the single-pair Ethernet input interface CON1 of the SPE EtherCAT-based drive board of joint 1. The two cables are TRD_M and TRD_N respectively. The single-pair Ethernet output interface CON2 of the SPE EtherCAT-based drive board of joint 1 is connected to the single-pair Ethernet input interface CON1 of the SPE EtherCAT-based drive board of joint 2. The single-pair Ethernet interface of the present application can achieve EtherCAT data transmission with only two wires, and at the same time, it can also supply power to the terminals through PoDL.

[0042] As Figure 4 shown, the discharge interface POWER OUT is used to connect to the power supply interface POWER IN of the next joint. The single-pair Ethernet output interface CON2 is used to connect to the single-pair Ethernet input interface CON1 of the next joint. The EtherCAT master station provides power supply for each joint drive board and transmits the servo control information required for the movement of the robot through the SPE-based EtherCAT bus. In this way, PoDL power supply and data communication between the EtherCAT master station and each drive board can be achieved through a pair of twisted pairs. The number of communication cables is half of that of the standard EtherCAT cables, reducing the difficulty of threading through the middle hole and reducing the risk of cable wear.

[0043] The present disclosure also provides a communication and power supply method applied to the joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot of the present disclosure. Figure 5 It is a flowchart of the communication and power supply method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 5 shown, the communication and power supply method 500 includes:

[0044] Step S51: Provide two independent power supplies. One supplies power to the joint drive circuit through a power supply interface, and the other supplies a DC power signal to the joint drive circuit through a single-pair Ethernet input interface 11;

[0045] Step S52: Input a joint control AC signal to the joint drive circuit through the single-pair Ethernet input interface 11;

[0046] Step S53: Convert the joint control AC signal into a joint control data frame;

[0047] Step S54: Extract the current joint control data from the joint control data frame based on the EtherCAT bus protocol, and control the joint movement according to the current joint control data.

[0048] In this application, flowcharts are used to illustrate the operations performed by the system according to the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that the operations described above or below do not necessarily have to be executed precisely in order. On the contrary, they can be executed in reverse order or simultaneously. Also, other operations can be added to these processes, or one or more steps can be removed from these processes.

[0049] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above invention disclosure is only an example and does not constitute a limitation to this application. Although not explicitly stated here, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to this application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are proposed in this application, so such modifications, improvements, and corrections still fall within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0050] Meanwhile, this application uses specific terms to describe the embodiments of this application. Such as "one embodiment", "an embodiment", and / or "some embodiments" mean a certain feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that the "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more at different positions in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this application can be combined appropriately.

[0051] Some aspects of the present application can be executed entirely by hardware, entirely by software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or by a combination of hardware and software. The above-mentioned hardware or software can all be referred to as "data block", "module", "engine", "unit", "component" or "system". The processor can be one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DAPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors or combinations thereof. In addition, aspects of the present application may be embodied as a computer product located in one or more computer-readable media, which includes computer-readable program code. For example, the computer-readable media may include, but is not limited to, magnetic storage devices (such as hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic tapes...), optical disks (such as compact disks CD, digital versatile disks DVD...), smart cards, and flash memory devices (such as cards, sticks, key drives...).

[0052] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the presentation of the disclosure of the present application and thus help the understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, in the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present application, sometimes multiple features are incorporated into one embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the features required by the subject matter of the present application are more than the features mentioned. In fact, the features of the embodiment are less than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed above.

[0053] As shown in the present application, unless the context clearly indicates an exception, words such as "a", "an", "one", and / or "the" are not specifically singular and may also include plural. Generally speaking, the terms "comprising" and "including" only indicate the inclusion of the steps and elements that have been clearly identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. The method or device may also include other steps or elements.

[0054] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangements, numerical expressions, and numerical values of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. At the same time, it should be understood that, for the sake of convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn in actual proportional relationships. Technologies, methods, and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the said technologies, methods, and devices should be regarded as part of the specification. In all the examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be construed as merely exemplary and not as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that: like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following drawings, and thus, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0055] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of differentiating the corresponding components. Without additional declaration, the above terms have no special meaning, and thus should not be construed as a limitation on the protection scope of this application. In addition, although the terms used in this application are selected from well-known and commonly used terms, some terms mentioned in the specification of this application may be selected by the applicant according to his or her judgment, and their detailed meanings are described in the relevant parts of this description. In addition, it is required to understand this application not only through the actual terms used, but also through the meanings implied by each term.

[0056] It should be understood that when a component is referred to as "on another component", "connected to another component", "coupled to another component" or "in contact with another component", it can be directly on, connected to or coupled to, or in contact with the other component, or there may be an intervening component. In contrast, when a component is referred to as "directly on another component", "directly connected to", "directly coupled to" or "directly in contact with" another component, there is no intervening component. Similarly, when a first component is referred to as "electrically in contact with" or "electrically coupled to" a second component, there is an electrical path allowing current to flow between the first component and the second component. The electrical path may include capacitors, coupled inductors and / or other components allowing current to flow, even if there is no direct contact between the conductive components.

[0057] In some embodiments, numbers are used to describe components and attribute quantities. It should be understood that such numbers used for the description of embodiments are modified by the modifiers "about", "approximately" or "substantially" in some examples. Unless otherwise stated, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" indicate that the stated number allows a variation of ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification are approximate values, and these approximate values may change according to the characteristics required by individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should consider the specified significant digits and adopt the method of retaining general digits. Although the numerical ranges and parameters used to confirm the scope breadth in some embodiments of this application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, such numerical settings are as precise as possible within the feasible range.

[0058] Although this application has been described with reference to current specific embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art in this technical field should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate this application, and various equivalent changes or substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, as long as the changes and modifications to the above embodiments are within the scope of the essential spirit of this application, they will fall within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A joint drive circuit for a collaborative robot, characterized in that Comprising: A single-pair Ethernet input interface, a first protection circuit, a first PHY chip, an EtherCAT slave controller, a main control module, a DC power extraction module, a power supply interface, and a power circuit; Wherein, the single-pair Ethernet input interface is sequentially connected to the first protection circuit, the first PHY chip, the EtherCAT slave controller, and the main control module. The power circuit is connected to the power supply interface or the DC power extraction module, and the DC power extraction module is connected to the single-pair Ethernet input interface. The single-pair Ethernet input interface is used to receive the joint control AC signal and the DC power signal. The DC power extraction module is used to extract the DC power signal. The first protection circuit is used to filter the DC power signal. The first PHY chip is used to convert the joint control AC signal into a joint control data frame. The EtherCAT slave controller is used to extract the current joint control data from the joint control data frame based on the EtherCAT bus protocol and send the current joint control data to the main control module. The main control module controls the joint movement according to the current joint control data.

2. The joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot according to claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: A second PHY chip, a second protection circuit, and a single-pair Ethernet output interface connected in sequence. The second PHY chip is connected to the EtherCAT slave controller. Wherein, the EtherCAT slave controller is further used to send the extracted joint control data frame to the single-pair Ethernet input interface of the next joint through the second PHY chip, the second protection circuit, and the single-pair Ethernet output interface.

3. The joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot according to claim 2, wherein, Further comprising: A DC power injection module and a discharge interface. The power circuit is connected to the discharge interface or the DC power injection module. The DC power injection module is connected to the single-pair Ethernet output interface. The discharge interface is used to connect to the power supply interface of the next joint. The single-pair Ethernet output interface is used to connect to the single-pair Ethernet input interface of the next joint.

4. The joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot according to claim 1, characterized in that The power circuit is connected to the power supply interface or the DC power extraction module through an OR unit. The DC power extraction module includes a coupling inductor.

5. The joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first protection circuit includes: a common-mode inductor and an isolation transformer. One end of the isolation transformer is connected to the single-pair Ethernet input interface. The other end of the isolation transformer is connected to the common-mode inductor. The other end of the common-mode inductor is connected to the first PHY chip. The isolation transformer is used to filter the DC power signal. The common-mode inductor is used to suppress common-mode interference and balance signal transmission.

6. The joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot according to claim 5, wherein, The first protection circuit further includes: a common-mode termination circuit. The common-mode termination circuit is connected to the isolation transformer. The common-mode termination circuit is used to further suppress common-mode interference.

7. The joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, The common-mode termination circuit includes a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a first resistor. The first capacitor is connected to the tap of the isolation transformer. The first resistor and the second capacitor are connected in series with the first capacitor.

8. The joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first protection circuit further includes: a transient surge suppressor connected in parallel with the first PHY chip, and the transient surge suppressor is used to protect the first PHY chip from surge damage.

9. A communication and power supply method, applied to the joint drive circuit of a collaborative robot as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Comprising: Two independent power supplies are provided. One power supply supplies power to the joint drive circuit through a power supply interface, and the other power supply inputs a DC power signal through a single-pair Ethernet input interface to supply power to the joint drive circuit; Input a joint control AC signal to the joint drive circuit through the single-pair Ethernet input interface; Convert the joint control AC signal into a joint control data frame; Extract current joint control data from the joint control data frame based on the EtherCAT bus protocol, and control joint movement according to the current joint control data.

10. A collaborative robot, characterized in that, Comprising the joint drive circuit of the collaborative robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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