Joint steering engine and robot

Abstract

The invention provides a joint steering engine and a robot. The joint steering engine comprises: a housing; the central power output disc is rotatably arranged in the shell and used for outputting the final torque of the joint steering engine; the power source is circumferentially arranged in the shell around the central axis of the central power output disc; the number of the primary speed reducing mechanisms is the same as that of the power sources, and the output shaft of each power source is operably connected with the input end of one primary speed reducing mechanism; the input end of the secondary speed reducing mechanism is operably connected with the output end of the primary speed reducing mechanism, and the output end of the secondary speed reducing mechanism is connected with the central power output disc; the power output by the power source is transmitted through the corresponding first-stage speed reducing mechanism and converged to the second-stage speed reducing mechanism, and after speed reduction and torque increase of the second-stage speed reducing mechanism, the power jointly drives the center power output disc to rotate. The joint steering engine is small in size and excellent in dynamic response performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of robotics, and more particularly to an articulated servo motor and a robot. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of robotics, articulated servos are the core drive units, and their performance directly determines the robot's motion capabilities and integration level. For a long time, the industry has generally adopted the classic design architecture of articulated servos consisting of a single rotor motor combined with a gearbox.

[0003] However, with the increasing demands for miniaturization, lightweighting, and dynamic response performance of robots, the inherent defects of this traditional design have become increasingly apparent: the single high-power motor body and its matching large-volume stator and rotor result in a large radial space occupation and bulky structure for the entire joint module, which seriously restricts the compact design of robot joints; the large amount of copper wire winding required for the large-size stator makes the material cost high and the manufacturing process complex; the centralized large-mass rotor brings huge rotational inertia, which significantly degrades the start-stop response speed and dynamic following performance of the motor, limiting the robot's motion agility and control precision.

[0004] How to effectively reduce the structural volume of joint servo motors and improve their dynamic response performance has become a key technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in the field of robotics. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a joint servo motor and a robot to solve the technical problems of large size and poor dynamic response performance of the joint servo motor in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted in this disclosure is: The first aspect of this disclosure provides a joint servo motor, comprising: a housing; a central power output disk rotatably disposed within the housing for outputting the final torque of the joint servo motor; at least one power source circumferentially arranged within the housing around the central axis of the central power output disk; a primary reduction gear mechanism equal in number to the power source, the output shaft of each power source being operably connected to the input end of a primary reduction gear mechanism; and a secondary reduction gear mechanism, the input end of which is operably connected to the output end of the primary reduction gear mechanism, and the output end of which is connected to the central power output disk; wherein the power output by the power source is transmitted via the corresponding primary reduction gear mechanism and converges to the secondary reduction gear mechanism, and after being reduced and amplified by the secondary reduction gear mechanism, jointly drives the central power output disk to rotate.

[0007] In some embodiments, the power source includes a brushed motor, a brushless motor, or a hydraulic motor.

[0008] In some embodiments, the primary reduction mechanism is located at the bottom of the housing, and the secondary reduction mechanism is located above the primary reduction mechanism; the output shaft of the power source is parallel to the axis of the central power output disk, and the power output by the power source is transmitted through the primary reduction mechanism in a direction parallel to the output shaft, and then changed direction upward through the secondary reduction mechanism and transmitted to the center of the housing to drive the central power output disk.

[0009] In some embodiments, the primary reduction mechanism is a parallel shaft gear reduction mechanism.

[0010] In some embodiments, the secondary reduction mechanism includes a second-stage reduction mechanism and a third-stage reduction mechanism; the second-stage reduction mechanism is a parallel shaft gear reduction mechanism, used to transmit power from the first-stage reduction mechanism to the center and further reduce the speed; the third-stage reduction mechanism is a planetary gear reduction mechanism, used to receive the combined power from the second-stage reduction mechanism and output it to the central power output disk.

[0011] In some embodiments, in a single-stage reduction mechanism, at least two power sources share the same single-stage reduction gear in their transmission paths.

[0012] In some embodiments, a through-type angle sensor is also included for directly detecting the absolute rotation angle of the central power output disk; the through-type angle sensor includes a sensor body and a transmission shaft, one end of the transmission shaft is fixedly connected to the central power output disk and rotates synchronously with it, and the other end passes through the central power output disk and is directly connected to the detection end of the sensor body.

[0013] In some embodiments, an embedded socket mounting groove is provided on the side wall or end face of the housing; the electrical connection socket is accommodated in the embedded socket mounting groove, and the plug end face of the electrical connection socket does not protrude from the outer contour surface of the housing.

[0014] In some embodiments, the overall shape of the housing is a flat cylinder, and the height of the flat cylinder is less than the diameter of the flat cylinder.

[0015] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a robot including articulated servos as described in the first aspect of this disclosure.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this disclosed embodiment compared with the prior art are as follows: This disclosed embodiment sets up a power source around the central power output disk, and uses a primary reduction mechanism and a secondary reduction mechanism to converge the power output from the power source to the central power output disk to drive the central power output disk to rotate. This fundamentally overcomes the defects of traditional joint servo motors, such as large size, high rotational inertia, and high cost, and lays the foundation for realizing the miniaturization, lightweighting, and high dynamic response of joints. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is an exploded structural diagram of the articulated servo motor provided in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the power source layout of the articulated servo motor provided in the embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a transmission mechanism for a joint servo motor provided in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another joint servo transmission mechanism provided in the embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the electrical connection socket and the joint servo motor provided in the embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the joint servo provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure label: 201. Top cover screw; 202. Top cover; 203. Circuit board; 204. Housing body; 205. Motor; 206. Central power output plate; 207. Output plate retaining ring; 208. Connector female; 209. Connector male; 210. Output plate planetary column; 211. Output plate bearing; 212. Three-stage reduction planetary gear; 213. Three-stage reduction sun gear; 214. Two-stage reduction large gear; 215. Two-stage reduction shaft; 216. One-stage reduction power gear; 217. Two-stage reduction small gear; 218. One-stage reduction small gear; 219. Angle sensor input bearing; 220. Angle sensor container; 221. Angle sensor; 222. Angle sensor chip; 223. Angle sensor compartment cover; 224. Bottom cover; 225. Bottom cover screw; 300. Embedded socket mounting slot; 400. Housing; 501. Sensor body; 502. Transmission shaft. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects to be solved by this disclosure clearer, the disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 1 This is an exploded structural diagram of the articulated servo motor provided in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the power source layout of the articulated servo motor provided in the embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a transmission mechanism for a joint servo motor provided in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another joint servo transmission mechanism provided in the embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the electrical connection socket and the joint servo motor provided in the embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the articulated servo motor provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The following is in conjunction with... Figures 1 to 6 Let's describe the joint servo motor and robot provided in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the articulated servo in this embodiment includes: a housing consisting of a top cover 202, a housing body 204, and a bottom cover 224; a central power output disk 206 rotatably disposed within the housing for outputting the final torque of the articulated servo; at least one power source, such as a motor 205, which is circumferentially arranged within the housing around the central axis of the central power output disk; a primary reduction mechanism equal in number to the power sources, which may include a primary reduction pinion 218 and a primary reduction power gear 216, with the output shaft of each power source operably connected to the input end of a primary reduction mechanism; and a secondary reduction mechanism, whose input end is operably connected to the output end of the primary reduction mechanism and whose output end is connected to the central power output disk; wherein the power output from the power sources is transmitted via the corresponding primary reduction mechanisms and converges to the secondary reduction mechanisms, and after being reduced and amplified by the secondary reduction mechanisms, jointly drives the central power output disk to rotate.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, the top cover screw 201 is used to install the top cover 202 onto the housing body 204, and the bottom cover screw 225 is used to install the bottom cover 224 onto the housing body.

[0024] The technical solution of this disclosure constructs a novel architecture of multi-power-source distributed drive and power convergence. By arranging multiple small power sources around a central power output disk and each driving a reduction unit, the power is finally converged to the central power output disk, which can reduce the size of the joint servo motor, reduce costs, and increase the reduction ratio and torque.

[0025] In the embodiments disclosed herein, the power source may be a brushed motor, a brushless motor, or a hydraulic motor, and is not limited thereto.

[0026] For example, such as Figure 2 The eight motors shown can all be brushless motors. Each of these eight motors transmits power to the secondary gear through a set of parallel shaft gears, and finally the power is output by the planetary gear system.

[0027] This solution clarifies the diverse implementation methods of the power source. Specifying the power source as a brushed motor, brushless motor, or hydraulic motor demonstrates that the technical solution is not dependent on any particular motor technology, enhancing its universality and practicality.

[0028] The technical solution of this disclosure embodiment uses multiple small power sources to jointly output torque. Each of these small power sources can operate independently, so the number of power sources can be reduced or increased according to actual needs. Reducing or increasing the number of power sources will not affect the normal output of the joint servo motor of this disclosure embodiment. As the size of the joint servo motor changes, the number of power sources that can be installed in the joint servo motor will also change accordingly. Figure 2 As shown, there are 8 motors 205, but in practical applications, the number is not limited to this.

[0029] The number of surround power sources can be flexibly configured between one and eight. In the embodiments disclosed herein, electrical interfaces and unified mounting positions for multiple power sources can be reserved in the structure. Users can choose to install any number of power sources according to actual torque, power, or cost requirements. These power sources can be evenly spaced or non-uniformly spaced for optimized heat dissipation or structural balance. This design can significantly improve the adaptability and scalability of the articulated servo motor to different application scenarios.

[0030] like Figure 2 As shown, six of the eight power source connection points are arranged symmetrically in pairs with respect to the center of the main body of the robot. The eight power sources are evenly distributed at equal intervals on the circumference, and the other two are corresponding to external interface connectors and passive components. All power sources are electrically connected in parallel through a circuit board, and are uniformly powered and controlled by a common interface on the circuit board. This greatly simplifies the cable layout of the robot system and realizes centralized power supply and unified control logic, reducing the complexity and cost of the control system, thereby facilitating unified power distribution and management.

[0031] like Figure 4 As shown, the primary reduction mechanism, including a primary reduction power gear 216 and a primary reduction pinion 218, is located at the bottom of the housing. The secondary reduction mechanism, including a secondary reduction large gear 214, a tertiary reduction sun gear 213, and a tertiary reduction planetary gear 212, is located above the primary reduction mechanism. The output shaft of the power source, i.e., the motor 205, is parallel to the axis of the central power output disk 206. The power output from the power source is transmitted through the primary reduction mechanism in a direction parallel to the output shaft, and then changes direction upward through the secondary reduction mechanism and is transmitted to the center of the housing to drive the central power output disk.

[0032] This scheme defines a U-shaped flip-type transmission path in which power is first transmitted axially in parallel, then changes direction upward and turns to the center, achieving a compact layout in three-dimensional space. This allows all power sources and transmission mechanisms to be efficiently housed within a flat shell space, significantly improving the space utilization of the robot's joint servo motors and enabling the flattening of the joint servo motor structure.

[0033] In this embodiment, the primary and secondary reduction mechanisms can be housed within an embedded compact gearbox in the articulated servo motor to achieve U-shaped power transmission.

[0034] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the first-stage reduction mechanism is a parallel shaft gear reduction mechanism.

[0035] This solution provides a reliable, efficient, and easy-to-manufacture primary reduction system that matches the axial transmission of the initial segment of the U-shaped path, ensuring stable and low-loss power transmission from each power source.

[0036] like Figure 4 As shown, the secondary reduction mechanism includes a second-stage reduction mechanism and a third-stage reduction mechanism; the second-stage reduction mechanism is a parallel shaft gear reduction mechanism including a second-stage reduction large gear 214, which is used to transmit the power from the first-stage reduction mechanism to the center of the housing body and further reduce the speed; the third-stage reduction mechanism is a planetary gear reduction mechanism including a third-stage reduction sun gear 213 and a third-stage reduction planetary gear 212, which is used to receive the combined power from the second-stage reduction mechanism and output it to the central power output disk.

[0037] This scheme establishes a three-stage hybrid reduction system using parallel shaft + parallel shaft + planetary gears. The second-stage parallel shaft reduction achieves efficient convergence and re-reduction of power towards the center, while the third-stage planetary reduction, with its high rigidity, large reduction ratio, and coaxial output, achieves the final convergence of multiple power sources and smooth output of ultra-high torque, comprehensively improving transmission efficiency, torque density, and system rigidity.

[0038] When using a multi-stage hybrid reduction scheme of parallel shaft + parallel shaft + planetary gear, after the power source outputs high speed, the first stage uses parallel shaft reduction, the second stage uses balance shaft reduction, and the third stage uses planetary reduction. The various reduction methods can make the high speed of the power source advance in an orderly manner, making the robot joint more efficient than ordinary robot joints.

[0039] In a single-stage reduction gear, at least two power sources share the same single-stage reduction gear in their transmission paths. For example... Figure 3As shown, each of the eight power sources corresponds to a first-stage reduction gear 216, and every two first-stage reduction gears 216 correspond to one first-stage reduction pinion 218, for a total of four first-stage reduction pinions 218. This means that the transmission paths corresponding to two power sources share the same first-stage reduction gear. In practical applications, the transmission paths corresponding to three or more power sources can also share the same first-stage reduction gear.

[0040] The four primary reduction pinions 218 mentioned above all correspond to one secondary reduction gear 214, meaning that the transmission paths of the four primary reduction mechanisms share the same secondary reduction gear.

[0041] This solution significantly simplifies the transmission structure. By allowing multiple power paths to share the same gear in the second-stage deceleration phase, it effectively reduces the total number of parts such as gears, shafts, and bearings, thereby reducing manufacturing costs, assembly complexity, and further compressing internal space.

[0042] In this embodiment, an embedded socket mounting groove 300 is provided on the end face of the housing 400. Alternatively, the embedded socket mounting groove can also be provided on the side wall of the housing 400. The electrical connection socket, i.e., the connector female 208, is accommodated within the embedded socket mounting groove, and the insertion end face of the electrical connection socket does not protrude from the outer contour surface of the housing. The connector male 209 can be inserted into the connector female 208.

[0043] This solution achieves a concealed layout for the electrical interfaces. The electrical connectors do not protrude from the housing surface, eliminating the need for extra space for the plug when installing the joint servos onto the robot skeleton. This facilitates seamless, compact modular integration and protects the electrical interfaces from external damage, making the robot joint servos more practical. After connection, the electrical connectors can be hidden within the circumferential space of the joint servos, ensuring that the entire robot joint servo does not occupy external space. This facilitates installation and saves external installation space.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, the joint servo also includes a through-type angle sensor for directly detecting the absolute rotation angle of the center power take-off disc. This angle sensor includes an angle sensing input bearing 219, an angle sensing container 220, an angle sensor 221, an angle sensing chip 222, and an angle sensing housing cover 223. (As shown...) Figure 6 As shown, the through-type angle sensor includes a sensor body 501 and a transmission shaft 502. One end of the transmission shaft is fixedly connected to the central power output disk and rotates synchronously with it, while the other end passes through the central power output disk and is directly connected to the detection end of the sensor body.

[0045] This solution enables direct, backlash-free measurement of the final output position. The sensor directly detects the central power output disk, avoiding the error accumulation caused by multi-stage gear transmission, thus significantly improving the absolute position control accuracy, response speed, and control rigidity of the joint. Directly acquiring the angle from the central power output disk and inputting it to the angle sensor on the other side of the disk via a through-hole metal transmission shaft simplifies angle acquisition and solves the problem of complex angle acquisition for robot joint servos.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, the joint servo in this embodiment of the present disclosure uses a wraparound circuit board 203, which allows all wraparound power sources to be directly connected through the shortest path via the circuit board, reducing both the size and the complexity of the circuit. The circuit board 203 is fixedly installed inside the housing of the robot's joint servo and includes an annular circuit board body. The center of the annular circuit board body is empty to avoid the connector of the output shaft of the central power output disk of the joint servo. The inner ring edge of the annular circuit board body has an inner ring clearance portion to avoid the inner ring mounting screw of the joint servo housing. The outer ring edge of the annular circuit board body has an outer ring clearance portion to avoid the outer ring mounting screw of the joint servo housing. The inner ring mounting screw and the outer ring mounting screw are the top cover screws 201. Eight power source connection portions are circumferentially arranged around the center of the annular circuit board body, and each power source connection portion is configured to establish an electrical connection with a power source.

[0047] This solution achieves the shortest path connection to all surrounding power sources, thereby effectively reducing the size of the circuit board while improving circuit performance.

[0048] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the overall shape of the shell is a flat cylinder, and the height of the flat cylinder is less than the diameter of the flat cylinder.

[0049] This solution represents the final form and overall effect of all the spatial optimization designs mentioned above. The flattened shape of the joint servo motor allows it to be embedded in a smaller space within the robot's joint structure, meeting the extremely demanding requirements of modern robots for joint thickness.

[0050] In this embodiment, the upper and lower surfaces of the robot joint servo motor have relatively high flatness, and the circumferential cylindrical surface of the robot joint servo motor also has high flatness. Furthermore, the height of the robot joint servo motor is less than its diameter. Therefore, the joint servo motor in this embodiment has a flat surface design and a flattened structural design, which facilitates its installation and integration in the robot.

[0051] The robot provided in this disclosure includes the articulated servo motor described above. Because the articulated servo motor in the above technical solution has advantages such as compactness, lightweight, high torque, and high precision, robots using this articulated servo motor can achieve better motion performance and a more compact mechanical design, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the entire robot product.

[0052] According to the joint servo motor and robot provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, by setting a power source around the central power output disk, and by using a first-stage reduction mechanism and a second-stage reduction mechanism to converge the power output from the power source to the central power output disk to drive the central power output disk to rotate, the defects of traditional joint servo motors, such as large size, high rotational inertia and high cost, are fundamentally overcome, laying the foundation for realizing the miniaturization, lightweighting and high dynamic response of robot joints.

[0053] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A joint servo motor, characterized in that, include: case; A central power take-off disc, rotatably disposed within the housing, is used to output the final torque of the joint servo motor; At least one power source is circumferentially arranged within the housing around the central axis of the central power output disk; The same number of primary reduction gears as the power sources, wherein the output shaft of each power source is operably connected to the input end of one primary reduction gear; The secondary reduction mechanism has its input end operably connected to the output end of the primary reduction mechanism, and its output end connected to the central power output disk. The power output from the power source is transmitted through the corresponding primary reduction mechanism and converges to the secondary reduction mechanism. After being reduced in speed and increased in torque by the secondary reduction mechanism, the power output drives the central power output disc to rotate.

2. The articulated servo motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power source includes a brushed motor, a brushless motor, or a hydraulic motor.

3. The articulated servo motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The primary reduction mechanism is located at the bottom of the housing, and the secondary reduction mechanism is located above the primary reduction mechanism; The output shaft of the power source is parallel to the axis of the central power output disk. The power output by the power source is transmitted through the first-stage reduction mechanism in a direction parallel to the output shaft, and then changed direction upward through the second-stage reduction mechanism and transmitted to the center of the housing to drive the central power output disk.

4. The articulated servo motor according to claim 3, characterized in that, The primary reduction mechanism is a parallel shaft gear reduction mechanism.

5. The articulated servo motor according to claim 4, characterized in that, The secondary reduction mechanism includes a second-stage reduction mechanism and a third-stage reduction mechanism; The secondary reduction mechanism is a parallel shaft gear reduction mechanism, which is used to transmit the power from the primary reduction mechanism to the center and further reduce the speed. The third-stage reduction mechanism is a planetary gear reduction mechanism, used to receive the combined power from the second-stage reduction mechanism and output it to the central power output disk.

6. The articulated servo motor according to claim 5, characterized in that, In the first-stage reduction mechanism, at least two of the power sources share the same first-stage reduction gear in their transmission paths.

7. The articulated servo motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a through-type angle sensor for directly detecting the absolute rotation angle of the central power output disc; The through-type angle sensor includes a sensor body and a transmission shaft. One end of the transmission shaft is fixedly connected to the central power output disk and rotates synchronously with it, while the other end passes through the central power output disk and is directly connected to the detection end of the sensor body.

8. The articulated servo motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, An embedded socket mounting groove is provided on the side wall or end face of the housing; The electrical connection socket is accommodated within the recessed socket mounting slot, and the insertion end face of the electrical connection socket does not protrude from the outer contour surface of the housing.

9. The articulated servo motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The overall shape of the shell is a flat cylinder, and the height of the flat cylinder is less than the diameter of the flat cylinder.

10. A robot, characterized in that, Including the articulated servo motor as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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