A heat dissipation structure of a robot joint module

Abstract

The application discloses a heat dissipation structure of a robot joint module and belongs to the field of robots, wherein the heat dissipation structure comprises a front cover, an outer shell, a rotating shaft, a rear cover, a driven gear, a driving gear, a cover and a protective cover; the liquid cooling circulation mechanism and the air cooling heat dissipation structure are integrated in the joint module through cooperation of the above devices; the gear water pump composed of the driving gear and the driven gear and the fan blade are synchronously driven by the motor output power of the module itself; the motor operation can synchronously drive the closed-loop circulation of the coolant; when the motor speed is higher and the heat generation is greater, the circulation speed of the coolant is synchronously improved; the heat dissipation intensity is adaptively matched with the heat load; the temperature control effect is more stable; the rotating shaft synchronously links the fan blade rotation; the airflow continuously sweeps the radial heat dissipation scales outside the cover; the high-temperature coolant after the water channel circulation is subjected to secondary forced air cooling; and the liquid cooling continuous heat exchange upper limit is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotics, specifically a heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module. Background Technology

[0002] The integrated joint module is the core power unit of humanoid robots and quadrupedal bionic robots. It is composed of motors, reducers, encoders and drivers, and directly determines the robot's load capacity, movement speed and continuous working time. With the rapid development of the robot industry, downstream application scenarios are constantly increasing the requirements for the output torque and peak power of the joint module. The motor built into the module will generate a lot of heat when running under high load for a long time. If the heat dissipation system cannot dissipate the accumulated heat in time, the motor temperature will quickly reach the protection threshold, triggering power reduction and current limiting, resulting in a significant decrease in output torque, which seriously limits the robot's overall load-bearing capacity and dynamic motion performance.

[0003] Existing robot joint cooling solutions mostly rely on natural heat conduction from the metal shell. The cooling efficiency is entirely limited by the shell surface area and ambient temperature. Some improved joints only add simple heat dissipation fins to the outside of the shell, which can only improve the passive heat dissipation capacity of the shell surface and cannot solve the problem of heat accumulation inside the cavity. When the robot operates under high load and continuously for a long time, the internal temperature rises rapidly and exceeds the standard. High temperature will reduce the service life of the drive motor insulation layer, accelerate the aging and softening of internal cables, and pose a risk of short circuit failure. The lubricating grease of the reducer will decrease in viscosity and easily become volatile and fail due to high temperature, and the wear of the gear pair will be accelerated, directly shortening the overall service life of the joint module.

[0004] Therefore, the present invention provides a heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module to solve the above-mentioned problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0006] This invention provides a heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module, aiming to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0007] (II) Technical Solution

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module, comprising a front cover, a shell, a rotating shaft, a rear cover, a driven gear, a driving gear, a sealing cover, and a protective cover. The front cover, shell, and rear cover are sequentially assembled to form a joint body support shell. An annular through-channel is integrally formed and connected inside the front cover, shell, and rear cover, and the channel is filled with coolant. The rotating shaft is coaxially inserted inside the shell, and one end of the rotating shaft is connected to a motor. The motor is located inside the shell. A rod extending from the rotating shaft to one side of the rear cover is synchronously connected to the driving gear and the fan blade. A mounting cavity is provided on one side of the rear cover. The driving gear and the driven gear mesh and are installed in the mounting cavity. The rear cover is provided with a coolant inlet and outlet communicating with the annular channel. The sealing cover is sealed and closed on the outside of the rear cover and forms a sealed liquid storage cavity with the rear cover. The protective cover covers the outside of the fan blade.

[0009] As a preferred technical solution of this application, the rear cover is provided with a bearing chamber, a support bearing is assembled in the bearing chamber, and the rotating shaft passes through the inner ring of the support bearing and is fastened to the drive gear.

[0010] As a preferred technical solution of this application, the center of the cover is provided with a rotating shaft through hole, the rotating shaft passes through the rotating shaft through hole and is fastened to the fan blade, and the motor drives the rotating shaft to synchronously drive the drive gear and the fan blade to rotate synchronously.

[0011] As a preferred technical solution of this application, the driving gear and the driven gear form a gear water pump. The driving gear meshes and drives the driven gear to rotate in the opposite direction. The operation of the gear water pump pressurizes and delivers the coolant from the outlet to the inlet, driving the coolant to circulate in a closed loop within the annular water channel of the front cover, outer shell, and rear cover.

[0012] As a preferred technical solution of this application, the outer surface of the cover is integrally formed with radial heat dissipation fins, and the fan blades rotate with the rotating shaft to form a directional airflow. The airflow continuously blows across the radial heat dissipation fins on the outer surface of the cover, forcibly cooling the coolant in the sealed liquid storage cavity.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution of this application, the protective cover has ventilation holes evenly opened on its surface, and the protective cover completely covers the outer periphery of the fan blade, preventing external foreign objects from contacting the fan blade rotation area.

[0014] As a preferred technical solution of this application, a sealing gasket is provided at the assembly point between the front cover, the outer shell and the rear cover to prevent the coolant inside the annular water channel from leaking out.

[0015] As a preferred technical solution of this application, the rotating shaft, the drive gear, and the fan blades are all subjected to interference fit to achieve rigid synchronous transmission, ensuring that the rotational speeds of the three are completely consistent.

[0016] As a preferred technical solution of this application, the protective cover is detachably fixed to the outside of the cover by bolts, which facilitates the later inspection and maintenance of the fan blades.

[0017] As a preferred technical solution of this application, the water inlet and water outlet of the rear cover are located at both ends of the annular waterway, the water inlet corresponds to the liquid storage cavity of the cover, and the water outlet is connected to the pressurized output end of the gear water pump pair.

[0018] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0019] This invention provides a heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module. Through the coordinated use of a front cover, outer shell, rotating shaft, rear cover, driven gear, driving gear, sealing cover, fan blades, protective cover, and motor, the liquid cooling circulation mechanism and air cooling structure are all integrated within the joint module. The module's own motor output synchronously drives the gear pump and fan blades composed of the driving and driven gears, eliminating the need for an external water cooling unit, independent power supply lines for the pump and fan. The front cover, outer shell, and rear cover feature an integrally formed, interconnected annular water channel arranged close to the motor's heating cavity, allowing the coolant to directly exchange heat with the high-temperature motor casing. Compared to traditional methods of natural heat dissipation from the outer surface of the casing and centralized liquid cooling via external pipes, this design results in a shorter heat conduction path and a larger heat exchange area. It can quickly remove the heat generated by the motor under high load. The drive gear and driven gear inside the rear cover form an integrated gear water pump, which is directly driven by the shaft. The motor can drive the coolant to circulate in a closed loop. The higher the motor speed and the greater the heat generation, the higher the coolant circulation speed will be. The heat dissipation intensity will be adaptively matched with the heat load, and the temperature control effect will be more stable. The shaft will rotate in sync with the fan blades. The airflow will continuously blow on the radial heat dissipation fins on the outside of the cover, and implement secondary forced air cooling to cool the high temperature coolant after the water channel circulation, further improving the upper limit of liquid cooling heat exchange. The protective cover can be detached and installed on the outside of the fan blades. The surface has ventilation holes to ensure the normal flow of air cooling air and to isolate external cables, foreign objects and human body parts from contact with the high-speed rotating fan blades, thereby improving the safety of equipment use. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used in conjunction with embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the outer shell of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the fan blade structure of the present invention.

[0025] In the picture:

[0026] 1. Front cover; 2. Outer shell; 3. Shaft; 4. Rear cover; 5. Driven gear; 6. Driven gear; 7. Cover; 8. Fan blade; 9. Protective cover; 10. Motor. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] Please see Figures 1-4 The present invention provides a technical solution: a heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module, including a front cover 1, a shell 2, a rotating shaft 3, a rear cover 4, a driven gear 5, a driving gear 6, a sealing cover 7, and a protective cover 9. The front cover 1, the shell 2, and the rear cover 4 are sequentially assembled to form a joint main body support shell. The front cover 1, the shell 2, and the rear cover 4 have an integrally formed and connected annular through-channel water, which is filled with coolant. The rotating shaft 3 is coaxially inserted inside the shell 2, and one end of the rotating shaft 3 is connected to a motor 10. The motor 10 is located inside the shell 2. The shaft 3 extends to a rod on one side of the rear cover 4 and is synchronously connected to the driving gear 6 and the fan blade 8. A mounting cavity is provided on one side of the rear cover 4. The driving gear 6 and the driven gear 5 mesh and are installed in the mounting cavity. The rear cover 4 is provided with a coolant inlet and an outlet that are connected to the annular water channel. The sealing cover 7 is sealed and closed on the outside of the rear cover 4 and forms a sealed liquid storage cavity with the rear cover 4. The protective cover 9 covers the outside of the fan blade 8.

[0029] The rear cover 4 has a bearing chamber inside, and a support bearing is installed in the bearing chamber. The rotating shaft 3 passes through the inner ring of the support bearing and is fastened to the drive gear 6.

[0030] A shaft through hole is opened in the center of the cover 7. The shaft 3 passes through the shaft through hole and is fastened to the fan blade 8. The motor 10 drives the shaft 3 to drive the drive gear 6 and the fan blade 8 to rotate synchronously.

[0031] The driving gear 6 and the driven gear 5 form a gear water pump. The driving gear 6 meshes and drives the driven gear 5 to rotate in the opposite direction. The operation of the gear water pump pressurizes the coolant from the outlet and delivers it to the inlet, driving the coolant to circulate in a closed loop within the annular water channel of the front cover 1, the outer shell 2, and the rear cover 4.

[0032] The outer surface of the cover 7 is integrally formed with radial heat dissipation fins. The fan blades 8 rotate with the rotating shaft 3 to form a directional airflow. The airflow continuously blows the radial heat dissipation fins on the outer surface of the cover 7, forcibly cooling the coolant in the sealed liquid storage cavity.

[0033] The protective cover 9 has ventilation holes evenly distributed on its surface. The protective cover 9 completely covers the outer periphery of the fan blade 8, preventing external foreign objects from contacting the rotating area of ​​the fan blade 8.

[0034] A sealing gasket is provided at the assembly point between the front cover 1, the outer shell 2 and the rear cover 4 to prevent coolant leakage from the annular water channel.

[0035] The rotating shaft 3, the drive gear 6, and the fan blade 8 all adopt an interference fit to achieve rigid synchronous transmission, ensuring that the speeds of the three are completely consistent.

[0036] The protective cover 9 is detachably fixed to the outside of the cover 7 by bolts, which facilitates the later inspection and maintenance of the fan blade 8.

[0037] The inlet and outlet of the rear cover 4 are located at both ends of the annular waterway. The inlet corresponds to the liquid storage chamber of the cover 7, and the outlet is connected to the pressurized output end of the gear pump pair.

[0038] In this embodiment, the liquid cooling circulation mechanism and air cooling structure are all integrated inside the joint module. The module's own motor 10 outputs power to synchronously drive the gear water pump and fan blades 8, which consist of the active gear and the driven gear. There is no need for an external water cooling unit, independent drive water pump, or external fan power supply line. The front cover 1, outer shell 2, and rear cover 4 have an integrally formed, interconnected annular water channel inside. The water channel is arranged close to the heating cavity of the motor 10, and the coolant can directly and fully exchange heat with the high-temperature motor shell. Compared with the traditional natural heat dissipation on the outer surface of the shell and centralized liquid cooling through external pipes, the heat conduction path is shorter and the heat exchange area is larger, which can quickly remove the heat generated by the high-load operation of the motor. The active gear 6 and driven gear 8 are located inside the rear cover 4. Gear 5 forms an integrated gear water pump, which is directly driven by the rotating shaft 3. The motor can synchronously drive the coolant to circulate in a closed loop. The higher the motor speed and the greater the heat generation, the higher the coolant circulation speed will be. The heat dissipation intensity will be adaptively matched with the heat load, and the temperature control effect will be more stable. The rotating shaft 3 will synchronously link the fan blades 8 to rotate. The airflow will continuously blow the radial heat dissipation fins on the outside of the cover 7, and implement secondary forced air cooling to cool the high-temperature coolant after the water channel circulation, further improving the upper limit of liquid cooling continuous heat exchange. The protective cover 9 can be detached and installed on the outside of the fan blades 8. The surface has ventilation holes, which can not only ensure the normal flow of air cooling air, but also isolate external cables, foreign objects and human limbs from contact with the high-speed rotating fan blades 8, and improve the safety of equipment use.

[0039] like Figures 1-4As shown, when a user needs to use the heat dissipation structure of a robot joint module, the motor 10 built into the housing 2 is powered on and operates. The motor 10 outputs torque to drive the coaxially connected rotating shaft 3 to rotate synchronously. The rotating shaft 3 is positioned and supported by the support bearing inside the bearing chamber of the rear cover 4. One end of the rotating shaft 3 is rigidly connected to the drive gear 6. At the same time, the rotating shaft 3 passes through the rotating shaft through hole in the center of the cover 7 and is firmly connected to the fan blade 8. Therefore, when the rotating shaft 3 rotates, it will synchronously drive the drive gear 6 and the fan blade 8 to rotate at the same speed. The drive gear 6 and the fan blade 8 rotate at the same speed. Driven gears 5 mesh with each other to form a gear water pump pair. Both are assembled in the mounting cavity inside the rear cover 4. When the driving gear 6 rotates with the rotating shaft 3, it meshes and drives the driven gear 5 to rotate in the opposite direction. The gear water pump pair generates pumping pressure, pressurizing and pushing the coolant inside the storage chamber from the outlet of the rear cover 4 to the inlet. This forces the coolant to continuously flow into the annular through-channel that connects the front cover 1, outer shell 2, and rear cover 4, forming a closed-loop circulation. When the coolant flows through the annular channel tightly attached to the outer wall of the motor 10, it directly absorbs the high-pressure water from the motor 10. The heat generated by the load operation carries the heat back to the sealed liquid storage chamber formed by the rear cover 4 and the sealing cover 7 through the inlet. The rotating shaft 3 synchronously drives the fan blades 8 to rotate at high speed, generating a directional cooling airflow. The airflow passes through the ventilation holes of the protective cover 9 and continuously blows the radial heat dissipation fins integrally formed on the outer surface of the sealing cover 7. Through forced convection heat exchange, the heat of the coolant in the liquid storage chamber is dissipated, completing the secondary cooling of the coolant. The cooled coolant re-enters the gear water pump pair for circulation and heat absorption, thereby continuously dissipating heat from the motor 10. Sealing gaskets are installed at the assembly gaps of cover 1, outer shell 2 and rear cover 4 to prevent coolant leakage inside the annular water channel throughout the process. The outer protective cover 9 completely covers the rotation area of ​​the fan blade 8, blocking external foreign objects and cables from touching the high-speed rotating fan blade 8, ensuring the stable and safe operation of the heat dissipation structure. When the output power of motor 10 is greater and the speed of shaft 3 is higher, the flow rate of coolant pumped by the gear water pump and the air volume of fan blade 8 are increased synchronously. The heat dissipation capacity is adaptively enhanced according to the heat load of the motor, avoiding the motor 10 temperature rise exceeding the standard and triggering the power reduction protection.

Claims

1. A heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module, comprising a front cover (1), a shell (2), a rotating shaft (3), a rear cover (4), a driven gear (5), a driving gear (6), a sealing cover (7), and a protective shield (9), characterized in that: The front cover (1), outer shell (2) and rear cover (4) are assembled in sequence to form a joint main support shell. The front cover (1), outer shell (2) and rear cover (4) are integrally formed with an annular through water channel. The water channel is filled with coolant. The rotating shaft (3) is coaxially inserted inside the outer shell (2). One end of the rotating shaft (3) is connected to the motor (10). The motor (10) is located inside the outer shell (2). The shaft (3) extends to the rod on one side of the rear cover (4) and is synchronously connected to the drive gear (6) and the fan blade (8). The rear cover (4) is provided with an installation cavity on one side. The drive gear (6) and the driven gear (5) mesh and are installed in the installation cavity. The rear cover (4) is provided with a coolant inlet and outlet that are connected to the annular water channel. The sealing cap (7) is sealed and closed on the outside of the rear cover (4) and forms a closed liquid storage cavity with the rear cover (4). The protective cover (9) covers the outside of the fan blade (8).

2. The heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rear cover (4) has a bearing chamber inside, and a support bearing is assembled inside the bearing chamber. The rotating shaft (3) passes through the inner ring of the support bearing and is fastened to the drive gear (6).

3. The heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cover (7) has a pivot hole in the center. The pivot (3) passes through the pivot hole and is fastened to the fan blade (8). The motor (10) drives the pivot (3) to drive the drive gear (6) and the fan blade (8) to rotate synchronously.

4. The heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The driving gear (6) and the driven gear (5) form a gear water pump. The driving gear (6) meshes and drives the driven gear (5) to rotate in the opposite direction. The gear water pump operates to pressurize and deliver the coolant from the outlet to the inlet, driving the coolant to circulate in a closed loop within the annular water channel of the front cover (1), the outer shell (2), and the rear cover (4).

5. The heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer surface of the cover (7) is integrally formed with radial heat dissipation fins. The fan blades (8) rotate with the rotating shaft (3) to form a directional airflow. The airflow continuously blows the radial heat dissipation fins on the outer surface of the cover (7) to force the coolant in the sealed liquid storage cavity to be cooled by air.

6. The heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The protective cover (9) has ventilation holes evenly distributed on its surface. The protective cover (9) completely covers the outer periphery of the fan blade (8) and isolates external foreign objects from contacting the rotating area of ​​the fan blade (8).

7. The heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module according to claim 6, characterized in that: A sealing gasket is provided at the assembly point between the front cover (1), the outer shell (2) and the rear cover (4) to prevent the coolant inside the annular water channel from leaking out.

8. The heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module according to claim 7, characterized in that: The rotating shaft (3), the drive gear (6), and the fan blade (8) all adopt an interference fit to achieve rigid synchronous transmission, ensuring that the three rotate at the same speed.

9. The heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module according to claim 8, characterized in that: The protective cover (9) is detachably fixed to the outside of the cover (7) by bolts, which facilitates the later inspection and maintenance of the fan blades (8).

10. The heat dissipation structure for a robot joint module according to claim 9, characterized in that: The inlet and outlet of the rear cover (4) are located at both ends of the annular waterway. The inlet corresponds to the liquid storage chamber of the cover (7), and the outlet is connected to the pressurized output end of the gear pump pair.

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