Actuating mechanism and joint mechanical device

Abstract

The utility model relates to an executing mechanism and a joint mechanical device. The executing mechanism comprises a shell; the output part is rotatably mounted on the output side of the shell; the encoder is arranged on the output side and located on the radial outer side of the output part; the first gear is connected to the encoder; the second gear is connected to the output part; and the transmission gear is in transmission connection between the first gear and the second gear. The strength of a transmission structure between the output part and the encoder can be enhanced through gear meshing transmission, and the defects that traditional belt transmission is prone to slipping, aging, breakage and the like are overcome. By arranging the transmission gear, compared with direct meshing of the first gear and the second gear, the diameters of the first gear and the second gear can be reduced, and the situation that the diameters of the first gear and the second gear are too large to occupy too much space of the output side of the shell or exceed the outer diameter of the shell is avoided; therefore, enough arrangement space can be reserved for other related structures on the output side.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of actuator technology, and more specifically, to an actuator and a joint mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] Joint actuators, equipped with encoders, are typically installed at the joints of robotic arms, humanoid robots, and other mechanical devices to monitor their motion. In related technologies, the encoder disc is connected to the output end of the actuator via a belt. After prolonged use, the belt can loosen, causing the encoder disc to slip and affecting measurement accuracy. Furthermore, the belt structure is usually made of rubber, which is susceptible to aging due to temperature variations, potentially leading to structural failure. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an actuator and a joint mechanism to at least partially solve the problems existing in the related art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this disclosure provides an implementing agency, comprising:

[0005] case;

[0006] The output section is rotatably mounted on the output side of the housing;

[0007] An encoder is disposed on the output side and located radially outward of the output section;

[0008] The first gear is connected to the encoder;

[0009] The second gear is connected to the output section; and

[0010] The transmission gear is connected between the first gear and the second gear.

[0011] Optionally, it also includes a limiting member disposed on the end face of the output side, the limiting member being located radially outside the second gear to limit the rotation angle of the second gear.

[0012] Optionally, the transmission ratio of the first gear, the second gear, and the transmission gear is designed such that the rotation angle of the encoder is less than or equal to 360°.

[0013] Optionally, the encoder includes:

[0014] A rotating component is connected to the first gear by two fasteners to follow its rotation;

[0015] A permanent magnet is mounted on the rotating component; and

[0016] A circuit board is disposed in the housing and corresponds to the position of the permanent magnet to receive rotation information of the permanent magnet.

[0017] Optionally, it further includes a mounting base disposed on the housing, the mounting base including a base plate with a groove located on the end face, the groove having an annular plate disposed therein.

[0018] The rotating component is rotatably mounted on the inner side of the annular plate, the permanent magnet is mounted on the bottom of the rotating component, and the bottom of the groove has a through hole to avoid the permanent magnet.

[0019] Optionally, it also includes a protective cover disposed on the output side for covering the encoder and the first gear.

[0020] Optionally, the output side end face is provided with a plurality of mounting holes, the plurality of mounting holes being arranged along a circular trajectory, the circular trajectory surrounding the outer periphery of the second gear and being concentric with the second gear.

[0021] Optionally, the plurality of mounting holes includes a plurality of threaded holes and a plurality of through holes arranged alternately.

[0022] Optionally, the second gear is constructed as a ring structure and can be circumferentially locked onto the outer periphery of the output section.

[0023] Optionally, the output section includes a turntable and a raised structure formed on the surface of the turntable, wherein the outer edge of the raised structure is wavy and is fitted into the inner circumference of the second gear in a matching shape.

[0024] Optionally, the turntable is provided with a plurality of first fastening holes around the protruding structure, and the second gear is provided with a plurality of second fastening holes that mate with the first fastening holes.

[0025] The first fastening hole corresponds to the recessed position of the outer edge of the protruding structure.

[0026] Optionally, the protruding structure is provided with multiple connecting holes for connecting to the component to be driven.

[0027] The connecting hole corresponds to the outward protrusion of the outer edge of the protruding structure.

[0028] Optionally, the protruding structure is provided with multiple positioning slots and / or multiple positioning posts for matching the component to be driven.

[0029] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a joint mechanism is provided, including the aforementioned actuator.

[0030] Through the above technical solutions, gear meshing transmission can enhance the strength of the transmission structure between the output unit and the encoder, solving the defects of traditional belt drives such as slippage, aging, and breakage. Furthermore, gear transmission allows for flexible adjustment of the transmission ratio during design and manufacturing to expand the application scenarios of the actuator. In addition, by setting a transmission gear between the first and second gears, compared to direct meshing of the first and second gears, the diameters of the first and second gears can be reduced. This avoids the first and second gears being too large and occupying excessive space on the output side of the housing or exceeding the outer diameter of the housing, thus reserving sufficient space on the output side for the arrangement of other related structures.

[0031] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the present disclosure and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the present disclosure, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an actuator executor as executorized according to this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The exploded view of the actuator shown in the figure;

[0035] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view showing the encoder position of the actuator;

[0036] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The enlarged view of the sectioning location shown in the partial sectional view.

[0037] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0038] 1-Housing; 101-End face; 2-Output section; 21-Turntable; 22-Protruding structure; 3-Encoder; 31-Rotating component; 32-Permanent magnet; 33-Circuit board; 41-First gear; 42-Second gear; 43-Transmission gear; 5-Limiting component; 61-Mounting hole; 62-First fastening hole; 63-Second fastening hole; 64-Connecting hole; 65-Positioning groove; 66-Positioning post; 7-Mounting base; 71-Groove; 711-Through hole; 72-Circular ring plate; 73-Base plate; 74-Side plate; 8-Protective cover. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The specific embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0040] In this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, directional terms such as "inner" and "outer," "top" and "bottom" may refer to the contour of the corresponding component itself, or to the direction of use of the relevant component. For example, "outer side" located radially on the output part refers to the outer periphery of the output part in the radial direction; "inner side" of the rotating component being rotatably mounted on the annular plate refers to the inner ring position of the rotating component mounted on the annular plate; the first fastening hole corresponds to the "recessed" position of the outer edge of the protruding structure, where "recessed" position refers to the trough position of the wavy profile of the outer edge; the connecting hole corresponds to the "convex" position of the outer edge of the protruding structure, where "convex" position refers to the crest position of the wavy profile of the outer edge; the permanent magnet is mounted on the "bottom" of the rotating component, where "bottom" refers to the side of the rotating component facing the circuit board.

[0041] In addition, the terms "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure are for distinguishing one element from another and do not have sequential or importance. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements.

[0042] Reference Figures 1 to 2 This disclosure provides an exemplary actuator, including a housing 1, an output portion 2 rotatably mounted on the output side of the housing 1, an encoder 3 disposed on the output side and located radially outward of the output portion 2, and a transmission assembly drivingly connected between the output portion 2 and the encoder 3. Here, the output side of the housing 1 refers to the side of the actuator facing the driven member. The output portion 2 drives the driven member to move, and the rotation of the output portion 2 can be monitored by the encoder 3. This disclosure does not limit the output portion 2; it can be an output shaft, an output turntable, etc., as long as it can be connected to the driven member to enable the actuator to drive the driven member to move.

[0043] It should be explained that "encoder 3, which is disposed on the output side and located radially outside the output section 2," means that in the projection along the axial direction of the output section 2, the projection of encoder 3 does not overlap with the projection of the output section 2, and the projection of encoder 3 is located outside the projection of the output section 2. The above-mentioned transmission assembly includes a first gear 41 connected to encoder 3, a second gear 42 connected to output section 2, and a transmission gear 43 that drives the connection between the first gear 41 and the second gear 42. However, the embodiments disclosed herein do not limit the connection method between the first gear 41 and the second gear 42 and encoder 3 and output section 2, as long as power transmission can be achieved. The appropriate connection method will be described below.

[0044] The first gear 41 can be connected to the rotary input component of the encoder 3 (e.g., the rotary component mentioned below). The transmission gear 43 can mesh between the first gear 41 and the second gear 42. The transmission gear 43 may consist of only one gear, in which case the first gear 41 and the second gear 42 rotate in the same direction. Alternatively, the transmission gear 43 can be a gear set; for example, if the first gear 41 and the second gear 42 are required to rotate in opposite directions, it can be configured as two meshing gears. Furthermore, when the first gear 41 and the second gear 42 are not aligned in height (i.e., axially misaligned), the transmission gear 43 may also consist of two coaxially stacked gears.

[0045] By using the above technical solution, gear meshing transmission can enhance the strength of the transmission structure between the output unit 2 and the encoder 3, solving the defects of traditional belt transmission such as slippage, aging, and breakage. Furthermore, gear transmission allows for flexible changes in the transmission ratio during design and manufacturing to expand the application scenarios of the actuator. In addition, by setting a transmission gear 43 between the first gear 41 and the second gear 42, compared to direct meshing of the first gear 41 and the second gear 42, the diameters of the first gear 41 and the second gear 42 can be reduced. This avoids the first gear 41 and the second gear 42 having excessively large diameters that occupy too much space on the output side of the housing 1 or exceed the outer diameter of the housing 1, thus allowing sufficient space to be reserved for other related structures on the output side.

[0046] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments of this disclosure, the actuator may further include a limiting member 5 disposed on the end face 101 on the output side. The limiting member 5 is located radially outside the second gear 42 to limit the rotation angle of the second gear 42. As described above, by setting the transmission gear 43, the diameters of the first gear 41 and the second gear 42 can be reduced, thereby reserving sufficient space on the output side of the housing 1 for arranging the limiting member 5. When the output part 2 rotates, the limiting member 5 remains stationary. The output part 2 is connected to the driven component, which may be equipped with a locking component that cooperates with the limiting member 5. Under the drive of the output part 2, the locking component can rotate with the driven component and contact the limiting member 5 when it rotates to a preset position, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the second gear 42, i.e., the output part 2. For example, when used in a humanoid robot joint, its rotation angle usually does not exceed 360°, because the mechanical angle of rotation of the humanoid robot joint will not exceed 360°. This disclosure does not limit the limiting member 5; it may be any other type of limiting member. Figure 1 and Figure 2The arc-shaped block shown is fixed to end face 101 by three pins and two bolts. Furthermore, in some other embodiments, the locking element for cooperating with the limiting element 5 can also be an electronic sensing element such as a microswitch; that is, in this case, the rotational limit position can be fed back by an electrical signal rather than by mechanical limiting. Alternatively, the limiting element 5 can also be mounted on the second gear 42 to follow its rotation. In this case, the locking element needs to be fixed to the housing 1 to cooperate with the rotating limiting element 5.

[0047] Since the joints of humanoid robots typically rotate no more than 360 degrees, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the transmission ratios of the first gear 41, the second gear 42, and the transmission gear 43 can be designed such that the rotation angle of the encoder 3 is less than or equal to 360°. With this design, the encoder 3 can be selected using a simpler, lower-cost incremental encoder (an incremental encoder can only record angles from 0° to 360°), thereby reducing the cost and structural complexity of the actuator. Of course, embodiments of this disclosure do not exclude other types of encoders.

[0048] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some embodiments of this disclosure, the encoder 3 may include a rotating component 31 connected to the first gear 41 by two fasteners to follow its rotation, a permanent magnet 32 ​​mounted on the rotating component 31, and a circuit board 33 disposed in the housing 1 and corresponding to the position of the permanent magnet 32 ​​to receive rotation information of the permanent magnet 32. The circuit board 33 may include processing circuitry and a chip. With this design, when the output unit 2 rotates, the first gear 41 is driven to rotate through gear engagement, which in turn drives the rotating component 31 of the encoder 3 to rotate. The rotating component 31 drives the permanent magnet 32 ​​to rotate, and the circuit board 33 obtains and records the rotation information of the output unit 2 based on the change in the magnetic field position of the permanent magnet 32.

[0049] Reference Figures 2-4 In some embodiments of this disclosure, the actuator may further include a mounting base 7 disposed on the housing 1. The mounting base 7 may include a base plate 73 with a groove 71 located on the end face 101, and an annular plate 72 is disposed in the groove 71. According to some embodiments, the mounting base 7 may also include a side plate 74 at an angle to the base plate 73. The side plate 74 may be mounted to the side of the housing 1 by fasteners, and the base plate 73 may be mounted to the end face 101 by fasteners. The rotating member 31 is rotatably mounted on the inner side of the annular plate 72, for example, by a bearing. The permanent magnet 32 ​​may be mounted on the bottom of the rotating member 31, and the bottom of the groove 71 has a through hole 711 to avoid the permanent magnet 32, so that the permanent magnet 32 ​​can interact with the circuit board 33 on the bottom side.

[0050] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2In some embodiments of this disclosure, the actuator may further include a protective cover 8 disposed on the output side for covering the encoder 3 and the first gear 41. The protective cover 8 can be fixedly connected to the housing 1 by fasteners, thereby protecting the first gear 41 and the internal structure of the encoder 3.

[0051] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments of this disclosure, the output end face 101 may be provided with a plurality of mounting holes 61 arranged along a circular trajectory, which surrounds the outer periphery of the second gear 42 and is concentric with the second gear 42. By providing a plurality of mounting holes 61 arranged along a circular trajectory, related components can be mounted on the housing 1, such as the aforementioned limiting member 5, mounting base 7, protective cover 8, etc. When installing the limiting member 5, it can be matched with several of the plurality of mounting holes 61 at any position according to the required limiting angle, that is, the installation position of the limiting member 5 can be adjusted according to the requirements, thereby improving the variability of the actuator.

[0052] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments of this disclosure, the plurality of mounting holes 61 may include a plurality of threaded holes and a plurality of through holes arranged alternately. For example, in Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the limiting member 5 can be fixed to the housing 1 through two threaded holes and three through holes. The threaded holes are used to install bolts (for connection) on the limiting member 5, and the through holes are used to install pins on the limiting member 5 (for positioning and enhancing mechanical strength).

[0053] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments of this disclosure, the second gear 42 can be constructed as a ring structure and can be circumferentially locked onto the outer periphery of the output part 2. With this design, when the output part 2 rotates, the circumferential locking design allows the second gear 42 to rotate synchronously. In embodiments of this disclosure, an output motor can be disposed within the housing 1, and the output part 2 is directly or indirectly connected to the output end of the output motor. For example, a reducer (e.g., a planetary reducer) connected to the output motor can be disposed within the housing 1, and the output part 2 is connected to the output end of the reducer, thereby indirectly connected to the output motor and being driven to rotate by the output motor.

[0054] This disclosure does not restrict how a circumferential lock is formed between the second gear 42 and the output section 2, for example in Figure 1 and Figure 2In the illustrated embodiment, the output section 2 may include a turntable 21 and a protruding structure 22 formed on the surface of the turntable 21. The outer edge of the protruding structure 22 may be wavy and fitted into the inner circumference of the second gear 42 in a matching shape. This wavy shape can be regular or irregular. The wavy arc structure increases the contact area between the second gear 42 and the output section 2, allowing the second gear 42 to be well "locked" in the output section 2, thus forming a circumferential lock to complete power transmission. Furthermore, in some other embodiments, multiple protrusions may be spaced apart on the outer edge of the protruding structure 22, and multiple recesses that mate with the protrusions may be provided on the inner ring of the second gear 42. Additionally, a circumferential lock may also be formed between the second gear 42 and the protruding structure 22 using fasteners.

[0055] In order to connect the second gear 42 to the output unit 2, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments of this disclosure, the turntable 21 may have multiple first fastening holes 62 around the raised structure 22, and the second gear 42 may have multiple second fastening holes 63 that mate with the first fastening holes 62. The first fastening holes 62 correspond to the concave positions of the outer edges of the raised structure 22. Here, "concave positions" refers to the positions of the wavy outer edges of the turntable 21 and the raised structure 22 corresponding to the troughs, i.e., positions closer to the rotation axis of the output section 2. This design helps to further reduce the diameter of the second gear 42 and improve the compactness of the structure.

[0056] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments of this disclosure, the protruding structure 22 may be provided with multiple connecting holes 64 for connecting to a component to be driven. Here, the component to be driven refers to a part connected to the actuator, i.e., the actuator is used to connect to and drive the component to be driven. Connecting holes 64 are provided to facilitate connection with the component to be driven. The connecting holes 64 may be located on the surface of the protruding structure 22 facing the component to be driven and corresponding to the outward convex position of the outer edge of the protruding structure 22. This "outward convex position" refers to the position on the surface of the protruding structure 22 facing the component to be driven that corresponds to the crest of the wavy outer edge. This design allows more space on the surface of the protruding structure 22 to accommodate the positioning groove and positioning post mentioned below, thereby improving the compactness of the actuator.

[0057] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2In the embodiments of this disclosure, the protruding structure 22 may be provided with multiple positioning grooves 65 and multiple positioning posts 66 for matching the component to be driven. Alternatively, only multiple positioning grooves 65 or multiple positioning posts 66 may be provided. The positioning grooves 65 and positioning posts 66 can be used to cooperate with the corresponding structure of the component to be driven. For example, the positioning post 66 can extend into the positioning hole of the component to be driven, and the protrusion of the component to be driven can extend into the positioning groove 65. By providing the positioning post 66 and positioning groove 65, positioning and connection strength can be improved. In addition, the positioning groove 65 can also have a weight reduction effect.

[0058] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a joint mechanical device is provided, including the aforementioned actuator. Since this joint mechanical device possesses all the beneficial effects of the aforementioned actuator, further details are omitted here. In embodiments of this disclosure, the joint mechanical device may include a humanoid robot, a robot dog, a robotic arm, etc.

[0059] The preferred embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of this disclosure, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of this disclosure, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0060] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, this disclosure will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

[0061] Furthermore, various different embodiments of this disclosure can be combined in any way, as long as they do not violate the spirit of this disclosure, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed in this disclosure.

Claims

1. An actuator, characterized by include: case; The output section is rotatably mounted on the output side of the housing; An encoder is disposed on the output side and located radially outward of the output section; The first gear is connected to the encoder; The second gear is connected to the output section; as well as The transmission gear is connected between the first gear and the second gear.

2. The actuator of claim 1, wherein It also includes a limiting member disposed on the end face of the output side, the limiting member being located radially outside the second gear to limit the rotation angle of the second gear.

3. The actuator of claim 2, wherein, The transmission ratio of the first gear, the second gear, and the transmission gear is designed such that the rotation angle of the encoder is less than or equal to 360°.

4. The actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The encoder includes: A rotating component is connected to the first gear by two fasteners to follow its rotation; A permanent magnet is mounted on the rotating component; and A circuit board is disposed in the housing and corresponds to the position of the permanent magnet to receive rotation information of the permanent magnet.

5. The actuator of claim 4, wherein, It also includes a mounting base disposed on the housing, the mounting base comprising a base plate with a groove on the end face located on the output side, wherein a circular annular plate is disposed in the groove. The rotating component is rotatably mounted on the inner side of the annular plate, the permanent magnet is mounted on the bottom of the rotating component, and the bottom of the groove has a through hole to avoid the permanent magnet.

6. The actuator of claim 1, wherein, It also includes a protective cover disposed on the output side for covering the encoder and the first gear.

7. An actuator according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that The output side end face is provided with a plurality of mounting holes, which are arranged along a circular trajectory that surrounds the outer periphery of the second gear and is concentric with the second gear.

8. The actuator of claim 7, wherein, The plurality of mounting holes includes a plurality of threaded holes and a plurality of through holes arranged alternately.

9. The actuator of claim 1, wherein, The second gear has a ring structure and can be circumferentially locked onto the outer periphery of the output part.

10. The actuator of claim 9, wherein, The output section includes a turntable and a raised structure formed on the surface of the turntable. The outer edge of the raised structure is wavy and is fitted into the inner circumference of the second gear in a matching shape.

11. The actuator of claim 10, wherein, The turntable has multiple first fastening holes around the protruding structure, and the second gear has multiple second fastening holes that mate with the first fastening holes. The first fastening hole corresponds to the recessed position of the outer edge of the protruding structure.

12. The actuator according to claim 10, characterized in that, The protruding structure is provided with multiple connection holes for connecting to the component to be driven. The connecting hole corresponds to the outward protrusion of the outer edge of the protruding structure.

13. The actuator according to claim 10 or 12, characterized in that, The protruding structure is provided with multiple positioning slots and / or multiple positioning posts for matching the component to be driven.

14. A joint mechanical device, characterized in that, Includes the actuator as described in any one of claims 1-13.

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