Joint assembly and robot

Abstract

The utility model provides a joint assembly and a robot, the joint assembly is used for the robot, the joint assembly comprises a base, the base is provided with a slide way and two limiting structures, and the slide way is arranged between the two limiting structures; the sliding block is mounted in the slide way in a sliding manner and is limited between the two limiting structures; the rotating table is mounted on the base and can rotate relative to the base; the limiting piece is installed on the base and can rotate along with the rotating table, and when the limiting piece rotates, the sliding block can be driven to move in the sliding way; when the limiting piece rotates to abut against the sliding block and the sliding block abuts against one of the limiting structures, the rotating table stops rotating. The limiting piece and the rotating table are of an integrated structure. By means of the structure, when the rotating table rotates in any one of the forward direction and the reverse direction, the rotating angle of the rotating table can be larger than 180 degrees, in this way, the rotating angle of the rotating table can be enlarged, movement of the rotating table is more flexible, and therefore the application scene of the joint assembly can be widened.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0002] With the development of robot technology, the application of robots is more and more extensive, and the movement range of each joint is more and more high. Especially in many application scenarios, the demand for the movement range of a shaft of a small load robot is more than 180 degrees in a single direction, so as to realize 360-degree work without dead angle.

[0003] In related solutions, the mechanical hard limit is usually used for the position limiting of the rotating table of a medium or large load robot, because the mechanical hard limit can well play the role of limiting, and ensure that the robot can stop after hitting the hard limit in the case of out of control, thereby reducing the damage to personnel or property. However, after using the hard limit, the rotation angle of the robot is less than plus or minus 180 degrees, which cannot meet the application requirements in some occasions.

[0004] Therefore, how to design a joint assembly that can be mechanically hard limited and has a rotation angle greater than plus or minus 180 degrees has become a problem to be solved at present. CONTENT OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present application aims to at least solve the problem in the prior art or related art that the rotation angle of the robot is less than plus or minus 180 degrees after using the hard limit, which cannot meet the application requirements in some occasions.

[0006] To this end, a first aspect of the present application provides a joint assembly.

[0007] A second aspect of the present application provides a robot.

[0008] The technical solution of the first aspect of the present application provides a joint assembly for a robot, which comprises a base, a slide and two limiting structures provided on the base, the slide being provided between the two limiting structures; a sliding block slidingly installed in the slide and limited between the two limiting structures; a rotating table installed on the base and capable of rotating relative to the base; a limiting piece installed on the base and capable of rotating with the rotating table, the limiting piece being capable of driving the sliding block to move in the slide when rotating; wherein the rotating table stops rotating when the limiting piece rotates to abut against the sliding block and the sliding block abuts against one of the limiting structures; and the limiting piece and the rotating table are in an integrated structure.

[0009] According to the joint assembly provided in the application, the joint assembly comprises a base, a sliding block, a limiting piece and a rotating table. The base is provided with two limiting structures, and a sliding channel is arranged between the two limiting structures. The sliding block can slide between the two limiting structures. The rotating table can rotate relative to the base, thereby driving the limiting piece to rotate along the circumference of the sliding channel relative to the base. When the limiting piece rotates between the two limiting structures, the limiting piece can interfere with the sliding block, thereby driving the sliding block to rotate together. When the sliding block rotates to abut against the limiting structure in the forward direction thereof, the sliding block cannot continue to rotate. In this way, the rotation of the rotating table is limited by the sliding block and the limiting structure. According to the scheme, when the rotating table rotates in any direction to one of the limiting structures, the rotating table can continue to rotate by an angle until the sliding block abuts against the other limiting structure. The structure makes the rotating angle of the rotating table greater than 180 degrees when the rotating table rotates in any direction of the two directions, so that the rotating angle of the rotating table is expanded, and the activity of the rotating table is more flexible, thereby expanding the application scenarios of the joint assembly. The rotating table can be unidirectional or bidirectional. When the rotating table rotates unidirectionally, the rotating angle of the rotating table in any direction is greater than 180 degrees, so the rotating table can be set to rotate in the positive direction or the reverse direction according to actual needs. That is, the structure can meet the large-angle rotation requirement in the two directions at the same time, so that the setting of the rotating direction of the rotating table is more flexible, thereby expanding the application scenarios of the joint assembly. The base of the existing scheme can only make the rotating table rotate by 180 degrees in the positive direction and the reverse direction, or make the rotating table rotate by an angle greater than 180 degrees in one direction and rotate by an angle less than 180 degrees in the other direction, and cannot meet the requirement that the rotating angles in the two directions are both greater than 180 degrees. The application solves the problem that the activity range of the rotating table in the related scheme is limited to 180 degrees based on the two limiting structures and the sliding block.

[0010] In addition, the structure can realize mechanical hard limiting of the rotating table based on the sliding block and the limiting structure, so that the mechanical hard limiting of the rotating table can be realized while meeting the large-range rotation angle requirement. The mechanical hard limiting of the sliding block and the limiting structure can well play the limiting role, so that the rotating table can stop after colliding with the hard limiting structure in the case of out-of-control, thereby reducing damage to personnel or property.

[0011] Optionally, the limiting piece and the rotating table are in an integrated structure, for example, the two can be integrally formed. In this case, the limiting piece is a limiting protrusion arranged on the rotating table. The limiting protrusion arranged on the rotating table can reduce the number of parts and the cost of the product.

[0012] Further, the limiting piece and the rotating table are integrally formed, the connection between the two can be removed, the risk of screw loosening failure is reduced, the ability of the limiting piece and the sliding block to withstand impact load is improved, and the damage to the rotating table when colliding is effectively reduced. Further, the limiting piece and the sliding block are in surface-to-surface contact with a large area, which can increase the stress area, so that the limiting piece and the sliding block can withstand a large impact load, avoiding the risk of the limiting piece and the sliding block being misaligned when the impact force is too large due to the small contact area.

[0013] The sliding block is prepared by a metal dipping plastic process, which can effectively absorb the energy generated by the collision, and has sufficient toughness and strength to resist impact deformation. At the same time, it can also reduce the friction force and friction noise with the slide. The slide and the sliding block are located on the base and do not rotate with the rotating table (when moving normally, the limiting piece will not collide with the limiting piece, and the sliding block and the slide are stationary), which can avoid unnecessary friction noise generated by the sliding block freely sliding in the slide when the sliding block and the slide move with the rotating table.

[0014] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the limiting piece can rotate clockwise relative to the base until the sliding block abuts one of the two limiting structures, and the limiting piece can rotate counterclockwise relative to the base until the sliding block abuts the other of the two limiting structures.

[0015] In this embodiment, the limiting piece can rotate in both forward and reverse directions with the rotating table. When it rotates forward, it can first pass through one of the limiting structures, then continue to move, and stop moving when the sliding block abuts the other limiting structure. When it rotates reversely, it can also first pass through one of the limiting structures, then continue to move, and stop moving when the sliding block abuts the other limiting structure. That is, the limiting part can rotate relative to the base to abut the limiting structure farthest from the base. With this arrangement, the trajectories of the limiting part rotating forward and reversely overlap, so that the rotation angle of the limiting part when rotating forward and reversely can be greater than 180°, thereby expanding the rotation angle of the rotating table.

[0016] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the sliding block comprises: an inner core; an outer shell wrapped on the outer side of the inner core; wherein the strength of the inner core is greater than the strength of the outer shell.

[0017] In this embodiment, the sliding block is arranged in the structure of the inner core and the outer shell, which can ensure the strength of the inner core to withstand the impact force when the sliding block collides with the limiting structure and the limiting piece, and the outer shell can reduce the friction noise between the sliding block and the base.

[0018] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the inner core and the outer shell are of an integral structure. The integral structure can improve the connection strength between the inner core and the outer shell, avoiding separation of the two when colliding.

[0019] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the inner core is a metal piece and the outer shell is a plastic piece.

[0020] In this embodiment, the inner core is set as a metal piece, which can have high strength and avoid being broken when the rotating table collides with the limiting structure in an emergency stop, thereby improving the service life of the rotating table and ensuring the limiting effect of the rotating table. The outer shell is set as a plastic piece, which can reduce the friction noise between the rotating table and the slide way and the noise generated when the rotating table collides with the limiting structure. In this arrangement, the slider is made of metal inside and wrapped with a layer of wear-resistant plastic outside, so that the noise is small when the slider rubs against the slide way, and the inner metal can bear the main impact force to limit the start and stop collision.

[0021] For example, the outer shell is a TPE plastic piece.

[0022] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the limiting structure is arranged in the slide way, a part of the slider extends out of the slide way, the limiting piece is arranged outside the slide way and opposite to the slide way, and the end of the limiting piece close to the slide way is lower than the end of the slider extending out of the slide way.

[0023] In this embodiment, the limiting structure and the slider are arranged in the slide way, and the limiting structure can limit the movement range of the slider. The limiting piece is arranged directly above the slide way, and the bottom end of the limiting structure is lower than the position of the limiting piece, so that the limiting structure does not interfere with the rotation of the limiting piece, that is, when the limiting piece rotates to the limiting structure, it can directly move from one side of the limiting structure to the other side. A part of the slider extends out of the slide way, and overlaps with the limiting piece in the height direction (i.e. the direction from the bottom wall of the slide way to the direction away from the bottom wall), so that when the limiting piece moves to the position of the slider, it can drive the slider to move together until the slider moves to the position abutting against the limiting structure, so that the rotation of the limiting piece can be limited by the slider and the limiting structure.

[0024] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the limiting piece is a limiting protrusion arranged on the rotating table.

[0025] In this embodiment, the rotation of the rotating table can drive the parts on it to rotate flexibly. For example, the rotating table can be a rotating table of a robot, and the base can be a support seat of the robot. The limiting piece is a limiting protrusion on the rotating table, that is, a protrusion can be directly machined on the rotating table as a limiting piece during machining.

[0026] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the slide way is arranged in an arc shape, and along the circumferential direction of the slide way, the circumferential width between the two limiting structures is a first width, and the circumferential width of the slider is a second width, which is less than half of the first width.

[0027] In this embodiment, the second width is less than half of the first width, which can ensure that the slider has a larger range of motion, and avoid that the slider is too large to limit the range of motion of the limiting member and the rotating table. For example, the limiting member includes an initial position, a center point of the initial position of the limiting member and a center of a rotating track of the limiting member are connected to form a connecting line, and then the two limiting structures are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the connecting line, so that when the limiting member moves from the initial position to abut against the slider and one of the limiting structures, the range of motion is greater than 180°, so that the rotating table has a larger range of motion.

[0028] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the limiting member rotates relative to the slide rail in the clockwise direction by an angle greater than 180°, and / or the limiting member rotates relative to the slide rail in the counterclockwise direction by an angle greater than 180°.

[0029] In this embodiment, the rotating table can drive the limiting member to rotate in the forward and reverse directions by more than 180°, so as to meet the requirement of a larger range of rotation. For example, for a robot, if the rotation angle is greater than plus or minus 180°, the robot can work without dead angle for 360°, so that the operation scene of the robot can be more diversified.

[0030] The second aspect of the application provides a robot, which comprises the joint assembly provided in the first aspect.

[0031] In this embodiment, since the robot provided by the application comprises the joint assembly provided in any of the first aspects, the robot has all the beneficial effects of the joint assembly provided in any of the first aspects, which will not be described here.

[0032] Specifically, the robot can be a six-axis robot, and the joint assembly can constitute a first axis of the six-axis robot.

[0033] For example, the robot further comprises a mechanical arm assembly, which is installed on the rotating table. The mechanical arm assembly specifically comprises a movable lower arm assembly, a movable upper arm assembly, and a wrist assembly that can rotate. At the same time, the wrist assembly can also swing and turn.

[0034] Additional aspects and advantages of the application will become apparent from the following description, or will be learned by practice of the application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the application will become apparent and be readily understood by considering the following detailed description, including the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0036] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a robot in an embodiment of the application;

[0037] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is a sectional structure schematic view of A-A in

[0038] Figure 3 is a structure schematic view of the robot in the embodiment of the utility model

[0039] Figure 4 is Figure 3 is a sectional structure schematic view of B-B in

[0040] Figure 5 is a structure schematic view of the sliding block of the robot in the embodiment of the utility model

[0041] Figure 6 is a structure schematic view of the sliding block of the robot in the embodiment of the utility model

[0042] Figure 7 is Figure 6 is a sectional structure schematic view of C-C in

[0043] Figure 8 is a structure schematic view of the sliding block of the robot in the embodiment of the utility model

[0044] Reference signs:

[0045] 100 joint assembly, 1 base, 12 sliding channel, 14 limiting structure, 2 sliding block, 22 inner core, 24 outer shell, 3 limiting piece, 32 limiting protrusion, 4 rotating table, 200 robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] In order to more clearly understand the above purpose, features and advantages of the present application, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0047] In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application, however, the present application can also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein, therefore, the protection scope of the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0048] The joint assembly 100 and the robot 200 provided according to some embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 8 .

[0049] As Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the technical scheme of the first aspect of the present application provides a joint assembly 100 for a robot 200. The joint assembly 100 comprises a base 1, a sliding block 2, a limiting piece 3 and a rotating table 4. The base 1 is provided with a sliding channel 12 and two limiting structures 14, and the sliding channel 12 is arranged between the two limiting structures 14. The sliding block 2 is slidingly installed in the sliding channel 12 and is limited between the two limiting structures 14. The limiting piece 3 is installed on the base 1 and can rotate with the rotating table 4. When the limiting piece 3 rotates, it can drive the sliding block 2 to move in the sliding channel 12. When the limiting piece 3 rotates to abut against the sliding block 2 and the sliding block 2 abuts against one of the limiting structures 14, the rotating table 4 stops rotating. The limiting piece 3 and the rotating table 4 are in an integrated structure.

[0050] According to the joint assembly 100 provided by the present application, the base 1, the sliding block 2, the limiting piece 3 and the rotating table 4 are included. The sliding block 2 can slide between the two limiting structures 14. The rotating table 4 can rotate relative to the base 1, thereby driving the limiting piece 3 to rotate relative to the base 1 along a circumferential track. When the limiting piece 3 rotates to between the two limiting structures 14, the limiting piece 3 can interfere with the sliding block 2, thereby driving the sliding block 2 to rotate. When the sliding block 2 rotates to abut against the limiting structure 14 in the forward direction, it cannot continue to rotate. In this way, the rotation of the rotating table 4 is limited by the sliding block 2 and the limiting structure 14. In this scheme, when the rotating table 4 rotates in any direction to one of the limiting structures 14, it can still rotate forward by an angle until the sliding block 2 abuts against the other limiting structure 14. This structure allows the rotating table 4 to rotate by an angle greater than 180° in either of the forward and reverse directions. This can expand the rotation angle of the rotating table 4 and make the rotating table 4 more flexible, thereby expanding the application scenarios of the joint assembly 100.

[0051] The rotating table 4 can be unidirectional or bidirectional. When it rotates unidirectionally, the angle of rotation in any direction can be greater than 180°. Therefore, the rotating table 4 can be set to rotate forward or backward as needed. That is, this structure allows the same base 1 to meet the large-angle rotation requirement in both forward and reverse directions, thereby making the rotating direction of the rotating table 4 more flexible and expanding the application scenarios of the joint assembly 100. In the existing scheme, when one limiting structure 14 is provided on the base 1, the rotating table 4 can only rotate 180° in the forward and reverse directions or can only rotate more than 180° in one direction and less than 180° in the other direction. It cannot meet the requirement that the rotation angle in both forward and reverse directions is greater than 180°. The present application solves the problem that the movement range of the rotating table 4 in the related scheme is limited to 180° by providing two limiting structures 14 and a sliding block 2.

[0052] In addition, the structure can limit the rotation table 4 based on the sliding block 2 and the limiting structure 14, so that the mechanical hard limit of the rotation table 4 can be realized, and the mechanical hard limit of the rotation table 4 can be realized under the condition of meeting a large range of rotation angle. Through the mechanical hard limit of the sliding block 2 and the limiting structure 14, the limiting effect can be well achieved, so that the rotation table 4 can be stopped after hitting the hard limit in the case of out of control, and the damage to personnel or property is reduced.

[0053] Optionally, as shown in Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the limiting piece 3 and the rotation table 4 are integrated, for example, they can be integrally formed, at this time, the limiting piece 3 is a limiting protrusion 32 arranged on the rotation table. By arranging the limiting protrusion 32 on the rotation table 4 and limiting by the limiting protrusion 32, the number of parts can be reduced, and the cost of the product can be reduced.

[0054] In addition, the limiting piece 3 and the rotation table 4 are integrally formed, the connection between them can be removed, the risk of screw loosening failure is reduced, the ability of the limiting piece 3 and the sliding block 2 to withstand impact load is improved, so that the damage to the rotation table 4 when colliding is effectively reduced. Further, the limiting piece 3 and the sliding block 2 are in surface contact with each other, so that the stress area can be increased, and the limiting piece 3 and the sliding block 2 can withstand a large impact load, thereby avoiding the risk that the limiting piece 3 and the sliding block 2 are misaligned when the impact force is too large due to too small contact area.

[0055] The sliding block 2 is prepared by metal dipping process, which can effectively absorb the energy generated by collision, and has sufficient toughness and strength to resist impact deformation. At the same time, it can also reduce the friction force and friction noise with the slide 12. The slide 12 and the sliding block 2 are located on the base and do not rotate with the rotation table 4 (they will not collide with the limiting piece 3 when moving normally, and the sliding block 2 and the slide 12 are static), which can avoid unnecessary friction noise generated by the sliding block 2 freely sliding in the slide 12 when the sliding block 2 and the slide 12 move with the rotation table 4.

[0056] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, as shown in Figure 2 , the limiting piece 3 can rotate clockwise relative to the base 1 until the sliding block 2 abuts against one of the two limiting structures 14, and the limiting piece 3 can rotate counterclockwise relative to the base 1 until the sliding block 2 abuts against the other of the two limiting structures 14.

[0057] In this embodiment, the limiting member 3 can rotate along the positive and negative directions following the rotating table 4. When rotating in the positive direction, it can first pass through one of the limiting structures 14, and then continue to move until the slider 2 stops moving when abutting against the other limiting structure 14. When rotating in the negative direction, it can also first pass through one of the limiting structures 14, and then continue to move until the slider 2 stops moving when abutting against the other limiting structure 14. That is, the limiting member 3 can rotate relative to the base 1 to the position where the slider 2 abuts against the limiting structure 14 at the far end. With this arrangement, the trajectories of the limiting member 3 when rotating in the positive and negative directions have a part in common, so that the rotating angle of the limiting member 3 when rotating in the positive and negative directions can be greater than 180°, thereby expanding the rotating angle of the rotating table 4.

[0058] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, as shown in Figure 5 、 Figure 6 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the slider 2 comprises: an inner core 22; and an outer shell 24 wrapped outside the inner core 22; wherein the strength of the inner core 22 is greater than that of the outer shell 24.

[0059] In this embodiment, the slider 2 is arranged in the structure of the inner core 22 and the outer shell 24, so that the strength can be ensured by the inner core 22 to withstand the collision force when the slider 2 collides with the limiting structure 14 and the limiting member 3, and at the same time, the friction noise between the slider 2 and the base 1 can be reduced by the outer shell 24.

[0060] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the inner core 22 and the outer shell 24 are of an integrated structure. The integrated structure can improve the connection strength between the inner core 22 and the outer shell 24, avoiding separation of the two when colliding.

[0061] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the inner core 22 is a metal member, and the outer shell 24 is a plastic member.

[0062] In this embodiment, arranging the inner core 22 as a metal member can make it have higher strength, avoiding being broken when the rotating table 4 suddenly stops and collides with the limiting structure 14, thereby improving the service life of the rotating table 4 and ensuring the limiting effect of the rotating table 4. Arranging the outer shell 24 as a plastic member can reduce the friction noise between the rotating table 4 and the slide 12 when rotating, and the noise produced when the rotating table 4 collides with the limiting structure 14. With this arrangement, the slider 2 is made of metal inside and wrapped with a layer of wear-resistant plastic outside, so that the noise is very small when the slider 2 rubs against the slide 12, and the inner metal bears the main collision force, playing a role in limiting the start and stop collision.

[0063] Illustratively, the outer shell 24 is a TPE plastic member.

[0064] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, as shown in Figure 3 andFigure 4 As shown, the slide 12 includes a bottom wall, and the end of the slide 12 away from the bottom wall forms a slide opening. A limiting structure 14 is disposed inside the slide 12, a part of the slider 2 extends out from the slide opening of the slide 12, and a limiting member 3 is located outside the slide 12, opposite to the slide 12, and the end of the limiting member 3 near the slide 12 is lower than the end of the slider 2 extending out of the slide 12.

[0065] In this embodiment, both the limiting structure 14 and the slider 2 are disposed within the slide rail 12. The limiting structure 14 can limit the range of motion of the slider 2. The limiting member 3 is disposed directly above the slide rail, and the bottom end of the limiting structure 14 is lower than the position of the limiting member 3, so that the limiting structure 14 will not interfere with the rotation of the limiting member 3. That is, when the limiting member 3 rotates to the limiting structure 14, it can move directly from one side of the limiting structure 14 to the other side. A portion of the slider 2 extends out of the slide rail 12 and is aligned with the limiting member 3 in the height direction (i.e., from the bottom wall of the slide rail 12 to the direction away from the bottom wall, this direction can be as follows). Figure 4 As shown, the two structures overlap, which allows the limiting member 3 to move to the position of the slider 2 and drive the slider 2 to move together until the slider 2 moves to the position where it abuts against the limiting structure 14. In this way, the slider 2 and the limiting structure 14 can be used to limit the rotation of the limiting member 3.

[0066] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, as Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the limiting member 3 is a limiting protrusion 32 provided on the rotary table 4.

[0067] In this embodiment, the rotation of the rotary table 4 can drive the parts on it to rotate flexibly. For example, the rotary table 4 can be a rotary table of the robot 200, and the base 1 can be a support base of the robot 200. The limiting member 3 can be directly installed on the rotary table 4. Of course, the limiting member 3 can also be a limiting protrusion 32 on the rotary table 4.

[0068] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, as Figure 2 As shown, slide 12 is an arc-shaped slide, along the circumference of slide 12 (and Figure 2 (The rotation directions are consistent), the circumferential width between the two limiting structures 14 is the first width, the circumferential width of the slider 2 is the second width, and the second width is less than half of the first width.

[0069] In this embodiment, the second width is less than half of the first width, which can ensure that the slider 2 has a larger range of motion, and avoid that the slider 2 is too large to limit the range of motion of the limiting member 3 and the rotating table 4. For example, a connecting line can be formed by connecting the center point of the initial position of the limiting member 3 and the center of the rotating track of the limiting member 3, and then the two limiting structures 14 are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the connecting line. In this way, when the limiting member 3 moves from the initial position to abut against one of the limiting structures 14, the range of motion is greater than 180°, so that the rotating table 4 has a larger range of motion.

[0070] In any of the above embodiments, optionally, the limiting member 3 rotates relative to the slide 12 in the clockwise direction by an angle greater than 180°, and / or the limiting member 3 rotates relative to the slide 12 in the counterclockwise direction by an angle greater than 180°.

[0071] In this embodiment, the rotating table 4 can drive the limiting member 3 to rotate more than 180° in the forward and reverse directions, so as to meet the requirement of a larger range of rotation. For example, for the robot 200, if the rotating angle is greater than plus or minus 180°, the robot 200 can work without dead angle for 360°, so as to make the running scene of the robot 200 more diversified.

[0072] In the above embodiments, the position of the limiting member 3 is the initial position of the limiting member 3. Figure 2 In the above embodiments, the position of the limiting member 3 is the initial position of the limiting member 3.

[0073] The second aspect of the technical scheme of the present application provides a robot 200, which comprises the joint assembly 100 provided in the first aspect.

[0074] In this embodiment, since the robot 200 provided by the present application comprises the joint assembly 100 provided in any of the first aspects, the robot 200 has all the beneficial effects of the joint assembly 100 provided in any of the first aspects, which will not be described here.

[0075] In the above embodiments, the robot 200 can be a six-axis robot, and the joint assembly 100 can constitute the first axis of the six-axis robot.

[0076] For example, the robot 200 further comprises a mechanical arm assembly, which is installed on the rotating table. The mechanical arm assembly specifically comprises a movable lower arm assembly, a movable upper arm assembly, and a rotatable wrist assembly. At the same time, the wrist assembly can also swing and rotate.

[0077] The robot in the present application will be further introduced in combination with a specific embodiment.

[0078] With the development of robot technology, the application of six-axis robot is more and more widely, and the motion range of each joint is required higher and higher. Especially in many application scenarios, the demand of the first axis of small load robot is greater than 180°, so as to realize 360° work without dead angle.

[0079] At present, there are two mainstream methods for the first axis limit of six-axis robot. The first method is to use mechanical hard limit, which is commonly used in medium and large load robots. The advantage of this scheme is that it can effectively limit the position and ensure that the robot can stop after hitting the hard limit in case of out of control, thereby reducing the damage to personnel or property. The disadvantage is that the motion range of the first axis is less than 180°, which cannot meet the application requirements of some occasions. The second method is to use soft limit and cancel the mechanical hard limit, which is commonly used in small load robots. The advantage of this scheme is that the first axis of the robot can realize large range motion greater than 180°, which can meet the application requirements of all occasions. The disadvantage is that once the soft limit fails, the robot cannot be effectively limited and stopped when it is out of control, which may cause damage to personnel or property.

[0080] In view of the problems in the background, the embodiment provides a movable mechanical hard limit structure. A sliding groove is opened in the base, a limit block matched with the sliding groove is arranged in the sliding groove, the limit block can freely move in the sliding groove, and then the rotating seat of the robot has a corresponding limit boss. When the rotating seat rotates, the limit block in the sliding groove can be pushed to move together until it stops by hitting the limit point of the base. This structure solves the problem that the mechanical hard limit cannot meet the large range motion of 180°, and also solves the problem that the soft limit fails and the robot cannot be effectively stopped when it is out of control, which may cause damage to personnel or property. The movable hard limit structure is simple, low in cost and easy to operate.

[0081] Specifically, the joint in the embodiment includes a base, a movable limit block, a rotating table and a limit boss on the rotating table. The base is provided with a movable groove, and the movable limit block can freely slide in the groove. The angle of the groove is determined by the required rotation angle of the rotating shaft of the robot. The movable hard limit block is used to cooperate with the limit boss to limit the rotation angle of the rotating shaft. The limit boss is located on the rotating table and cooperates with the base groove and the movable limit block to limit the rotation angle of the rotating shaft.

[0082] The base groove has a limit point at each of the left and right ends. After the movable limit block and the rotating table are assembled, the movable limit block can be limited to move up and down, but the movable limit block can move along the circumference in the groove. The limit boss rotates with the rotating table, and after hitting the movable limit block, it continues to move with the movable limit block until the movable limit block hits the limit point of the base groove, and the rotation stops. This structure can meet the large range motion of 180° of the rotating shaft.

[0083] The base is a metal casting, and the movable limiting block is also made of metal material. During movement, the mutual friction between the metal and the metal can generate a large noise, which does not meet the noise design requirement of the robot. If the engineering plastic is used, the strength of the plastic is not enough to be broken in the case of emergency stop collision, and the limiting effect cannot be achieved. In order to solve this problem and ensure that the movable limiting block meets the strength requirement and the noise problem of mutual friction, the movable limiting block is specially designed. Specifically, the movable limiting block adopts a structure that the inside is made of metal material and the outer layer is wrapped with a layer of TPE wear-resistant plastic. In this way, when the movable limiting block is rubbed with the groove of the base, the noise is very small, and the inside metal can bear the main collision force, thereby achieving the limiting effect of start-stop collision.

[0084] Based on the joint of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application, the limiting sliding groove and the rotating seat limiting boss are integrally formed with the casting, which can reduce the intermediate connecting structure and reduce the risk of screw loosening failure. The limiting sliding block and the rotating seat limiting block are in large face-to-face contact, which can increase the force area and thus can withstand a large impact load, thereby avoiding the risk that the two limiting blocks are misaligned when the impact force is too large due to the small contact area. The limiting sliding groove and the rotating seat limiting boss are integrally formed with the casting, rather than being directly connected with the rotating driving part, which can effectively reduce the damage to the rotating driving part when colliding. The movable limiting sliding block adopts a metal plastic dipping process, which can not only effectively absorb the energy generated by the collision, but also have sufficient toughness and strength to resist impact deformation. At the same time, it can also reduce the friction force and friction noise with the metal sliding groove. The sliding groove and the movable limiting block are located on the fixed base and do not rotate with the rotating shaft (they will not collide with the limiting boss during normal movement), which can avoid unnecessary friction noise generated by the free sliding of the movable limiting block in the sliding groove when the sliding groove and the movable limiting block rotate.

[0085] In the description of the present specification, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiment", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present specification, the exemplary description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0086] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, replacements and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and purposes of the present application, and the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A joint assembly, characterized by A joint assembly for a robot, the joint assembly comprising: a base having a slide and two limit structures, the slide being disposed between the two limit structures; a slider slidably mounted in the slide and being limited between the two limit structures; a rotating table mounted on the base and being rotatable relative to the base; a limiting member mounted on the base and being rotatable with the rotating table, the limiting member being rotatable to move the slider in the slide when the limiting member rotates; the rotating table being stopped when the limiting member rotates to abut against the slider and the slider abuts against one of the limit structures; wherein the limiting member and the rotating table are an integral structure.

2. The joint assembly of claim 1, wherein: the limiting member is rotatable relative to the base in a clockwise direction to abut the slider against one of the limit structures and is rotatable relative to the base in an anticlockwise direction to abut the slider against the other limit structure.

3. The joint assembly of claim 1, wherein, the slider comprises: an inner core; an outer shell wrapped around the outer side of the inner core; wherein the strength of the inner core is greater than the strength of the outer shell.

4. The joint assembly of claim 3, wherein, the inner core and the outer shell are an integral structure.

5. The joint assembly of claim 3, wherein, the inner core is a metal member and the outer shell is a plastic member.

6. The joint assembly of any of claims 1-5, wherein, the limit structures are disposed in the slide, a portion of the slider extends out of the slide, the limiting member is located outside the slide and is disposed opposite to the slide, and an end of the limiting member close to the slide is lower than an end of the slider extending out of the slide.

7. The joint assembly of any of claims 1-5, wherein, the limiting member is a limiting protrusion disposed on the rotating table.

8. The joint assembly of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: the slide is arranged in an arc shape, along the circumferential direction of the slide, the circumferential width between the two limit structures is a first width, and the circumferential width of the slider is a second width, the second width being less than half of the first width.

9. The joint assembly of any of claims 1-5, wherein, the limiting member is rotatable relative to the slide in a clockwise direction by an angle greater than 180°, and / or the limiting member is rotatable relative to the slide in an anticlockwise direction by an angle greater than 180°.

10. A robot, characterized in that A robot comprising the joint assembly of any one of claims 1 to 9.

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