Highly-guarded heavy-duty industrial robot

Abstract

The utility model belongs to industrial robot technical field, concretely relates to a high protection big load industrial robot, including demonstrator, robot body and driver, and the demonstrator includes man -machine interface module, robot control module and function safety module, the robot body is multi -freedom degree mechanical arm, includes a plurality of mechanical arm unit, is connected through joint axle between adjacent mechanical arm unit, and each joint axle all sets up a motor as power source correspondingly, the driver is equipped with a plurality of, distributes in the mechanical arm unit as needed, and the corresponding motor realizes the bidirectional connection of signal, the utility model carries out the split of the function module in the control cabinet, arranges to the demonstrator and the inside of robot body, can make the whole robot system reach very high protection level, can be applied to the sensitive environment such as explosion -proof, vacuum enough.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of industrial robot technology, specifically relating to a high-protection, high-load industrial robot. Background Technology

[0002] Industrial robots are widely used in manufacturing. A typical system includes the robot body, a sensing module, and a control system. The sensing module is not discussed in this application because it is not used in all working conditions. Traditional robotic arms cannot be directly applied in sensitive environments, such as vacuum or explosion-proof environments. A major reason is that the entire robot system is limited by the protection level of the robot body structure and control system, making it unable to meet specific requirements. Traditional control systems consist of a control cabinet and a teach pendant. The control cabinet houses several electrical components such as the robot control board, drivers, filters, and braking resistors. Because it needs to communicate with the robot body, it cannot be too far away from the body. Traditional control cabinets and teach pendants must be placed outside sensitive environments (explosion-proof, vacuum, etc.), causing the entire robot product to fail to meet factory entry requirements. Utility Model Content

[0003] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this utility model provides a high-protection, high-load industrial robot that enables the robot system to achieve an extremely high level of protection, making it suitable for use in sensitive environments such as explosion-proof and vacuum environments.

[0004] This invention is implemented by providing a high-protection, high-load industrial robot, including a teach pendant, a robot body, and a driver.

[0005] The teach pendant includes a human-machine interaction module, a robot control module, and a functional safety module. The human-machine interaction module is used for monitoring the status of the industrial robot, configuring parameters, and editing tasks. The functional safety module is used for processing the industrial robot's enable signals and emergency stop signals. After receiving the information flow from the human-machine interaction module and the functional safety module, the robot control module performs memory management, logical operations, and implements the industrial robot motion control algorithm. It then issues motion commands and configuration parameters to the driver, which in turn sends feedback signals to the robot control module. The robot control module then sends feedback signals to the human-machine interaction module and the functional safety module.

[0006] The robot body is a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, which includes several robotic arm units. Adjacent robotic arm units are connected by joint axes, and each joint axis is equipped with a corresponding motor as a power source.

[0007] The system comprises several drivers, each with a multi-layer PCB structure. Each driver includes, from top to bottom, a control board, a feedback board, and a silicon carbide inverter substrate. The control board houses the industrial robot's motion control module and encoder feedback module. The motion control module controls motor motion, while the encoder feedback module provides encoder feedback. The feedback board includes an inverter current acquisition module, a bus voltage acquisition module, a brake control module, and a temperature feedback module. The inverter current acquisition module acquires inverter current, the bus voltage acquisition module acquires bus voltage, the brake control module controls brake operation, and the temperature feedback module provides temperature feedback. The silicon carbide inverter substrate contains a SiC MOS chip module for DC and AC inversion. Bidirectional signal communication connections exist between the control board and the feedback board, and between the feedback board and the silicon carbide inverter substrate.

[0008] The drivers are distributed as needed in several robotic arm units, and bidirectional signal connections are established with the motors in the corresponding joint axes.

[0009] Preferably, the robot body is a six-degree-of-freedom robotic arm. The robotic arm unit includes a forearm, an upper arm, and a base. Two joint axes are provided at the end of the forearm away from the upper arm, between the forearm and the upper arm, and between the upper arm and the base. Each joint axis is powered by a motor.

[0010] Further preferably, the driver is provided in six parts. Two driver slots are provided on the forearm, the upper arm, and the base respectively. One driver is provided in each driver slot. The two drivers provided in the forearm driver slot are respectively connected to the motors of the two joint axes of the forearm away from the upper arm with bidirectional signal connections. The two drivers provided in the upper arm driver slot are respectively connected to the motors of the two joint axes between the forearm and the upper arm with bidirectional signal connections. The two drivers provided in the base driver slot are respectively connected to the motors of the two joint axes between the upper arm and the base with bidirectional signal connections.

[0011] Further preferably, the control board and the feedback board of the servo driver are connected by copper pillars, the feedback board and the silicon carbide inverter substrate are connected by patch nuts, and the silicon carbide inverter substrate is connected to a heat sink, which is also connected to the bottom surface of the driver slot by patch nuts, and a thermally conductive silicone grease layer is coated between the heat sink and the bottom surface of the driver slot.

[0012] Further preferably, there are two drivers, one driver slot on the upper arm and one in the base, with one driver in each driver slot. The driver in the upper arm is bidirectionally connected to the motors of the two joint axes of the lower arm away from the upper arm and the motor of the joint axis between the lower arm and the upper arm; the driver in the base is bidirectionally connected to the motors of the remaining three joint axes.

[0013] The driver also includes a busbar board and a signal board, the busbar board being used to carry high-voltage busbar current and the signal board being used to carry low-voltage signals;

[0014] The control board and feedback board of the servo driver are connected by copper pillars. The feedback board and the silicon carbide inverter substrate are connected by patch nuts. The silicon carbide inverter substrate is connected to a heat sink, which is also connected to the bottom surface of the driver slot by patch nuts. A thermally conductive silicone grease layer is coated between the heat sink and the bottom surface of the driver slot. The bus board is fixed between the feedback board and the silicon carbide inverter substrate by copper pillars. The signal board is located on the side, with its lower end connected to the silicon carbide inverter substrate and its upper end connected to the control board.

[0015] Further preferably, an electrical module group is provided inside the base. The electrical module group includes a filtering module, an IO distribution and deployment module, a current distribution module, and an air source opening and closing module, which are used for filtering, IO distribution and deployment, current distribution, and air source opening and closing, respectively. A heat dissipation structure is provided on the outer wall of the base, and the heat dissipation structure has multiple heat dissipation holes.

[0016] Preferably, a power module is provided that is connected to the teach pendant, the robot body, and the driver respectively.

[0017] Preferably, the teach pendant is developed based on the Android platform.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this utility model are:

[0019] 1. Most existing industrial robot teach pendants only integrate basic human-machine interface modules. This means a standalone teach pendant can only perform basic operations such as parameter configuration and job editing. Advanced operations such as motion control and safety signal processing still require at least a control box. The teach pendant in this invention additionally integrates a robot control module and a functional safety module. The robot control module can implement the robot's motion control algorithms, logic operations, memory management, and simulation, while the functional safety module can process safety signals (such as emergency stop signals and enable switch signals). Therefore, after being powered on, the teach pendant can independently complete operations such as job editing, job uploading, motion planning, and even simulation, greatly facilitating job verification.

[0020] 2. The teach pendant operating system is developed based on the Android platform, which can realize the functions of platform application. Process packages (such as spraying and grinding) can be packaged into APP form for easy maintenance. Most importantly, it also has the ability to connect to the cloud for remote download (OTA), which can prevent external devices from entering sensitive environments.

[0021] 3. High-density servo drives utilize emerging aluminum-based silicon carbide (SiC) as power devices to replace traditional IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) devices. Conduction Loss: SiC devices (such as SiC MOSFETs) have low on-resistance at high voltages, resulting in lower conduction losses than IGBTs (especially at voltage levels above 1200V). Switching Losses: SiC's switching losses are 50%–80% lower than IGBTs, significantly improving system efficiency. SiC offers lower switching and conduction losses than IGBTs, resulting in significantly reduced heat generation and effectively minimizing the mechanical and heatsink dimensions of the servo drive, providing crucial protection for deployment in sensitive environments.

[0022] 4. Existing industrial robot drives are all housed in control cabinets, which not only occupies extra space and increases costs, but also provides poor protection. If the drives are built-in and distributed within the robotic arm, the size and heat dissipation issues of traditional solutions remain significant challenges. This invention integrates high-density silicon carbide-based drives and control logic into the robot, eliminating the need for a control cabinet and addressing heat dissipation directly from the heat source, further improving protection. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the signal transmission direction of each module of the high-protection, high-load industrial robot provided in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the high-protection, high-load industrial robot provided in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the driver in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the silicon carbide inverter substrate in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the base structure in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the driver in Embodiment 2 of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0030] Example 1

[0031] refer to Figures 1-5 In this embodiment, a high-protection, high-load industrial robot includes a teach pendant 100, a robot body 200, and a driver 300.

[0032] The teach pendant 100 includes a human-machine interaction module 101, a robot control module 102, and a functional safety module 103. The human-machine interaction module 101 is used for monitoring the status of the industrial robot, configuring parameters, and editing tasks. The functional safety module 103 is used for processing the industrial robot's enable signals and emergency stop signals. After receiving the information flow from the human-machine interaction module 101 and the functional safety module 103, the robot control module 102 performs memory management, logical operations, and implements the industrial robot motion control algorithm. It then issues motion commands and configuration parameters to the driver 300, which in turn transmits feedback signals to the robot control module 102. The robot control module 102 then transmits the feedback signals to the human-machine interaction module 101 and the functional safety module 103.

[0033] The robot body 200 is a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, which includes several robotic arm units. Adjacent robotic arm units are connected by joint axes, and each joint axis is equipped with a corresponding motor as a power source.

[0034] Traditional drives, when placed inside high-load robotic arms, can become inoperable or even damaged due to high heat generation. In addition, their large size makes them unsuitable for the internal space of the robotic arm. Therefore, this invention designs a servo drive 300 with low power consumption, low heat generation, and high density. The drive unit 300 comprises several units in a multi-layer PCB structure. Each drive unit 300 includes at least a control board 301, a feedback board 302, and a silicon carbide inverter substrate 303 connected from top to bottom. The control board 301 houses a motion control module 3011 and an encoder feedback module 3012 for the industrial robot. The motion control module 3011 implements motor motion control, and the encoder feedback module 3012 provides encoder feedback. The feedback board 302 houses an inverter current acquisition module 3021, a bus voltage acquisition module 3022, a brake control module 3023, and a temperature feedback module 3024. The inverter current acquisition module 3021 acquires inverter current, the bus voltage acquisition module 3022 acquires bus voltage, the brake control module 3023 controls brake operation, and the temperature feedback module 3024 provides temperature feedback. The silicon carbide inverter substrate 303 houses a SiC MOS chip module 3031. The MOS chip module 3031 is used to realize the mutual inversion of DC and AC power; the control board 301 and the feedback board 302, and the feedback board 302 and the silicon carbide inverter substrate 303 are all bidirectional signal communication connections.

[0035] The driver 300 is distributed in several robotic arm units as needed, and achieves bidirectional signal connection with the motor in the corresponding joint axis.

[0036] The workflow of the entire system is as follows: After the teach pendant 100 is powered on, it performs human-machine interaction operations through the human-machine interaction module 101, executing processes such as monitoring system status, configuring parameters, and writing tasks. Simultaneously, the functional safety module 103 can receive and process safety signals such as emergency stop signals and enable switch signals in real time. The robot control module 102 aggregates the information flow from the human-machine interaction module 101 and the functional safety module 103, performs memory management, processes logic and tasks, simulates motion parameters after calculation, and then issues motion commands, transmits configuration parameters and signals, and transmits all information to the driver 300 in the robot body 200. At the same time, the robot control module 102 receives feedback signals from the driver 300, processes them, and then feeds them back to the human-machine interaction module 101 and the functional safety module 103.

[0037] The actuator 300 controls the motion by controlling the motors in the joint axes of the robot body 200. The actuator 300 mainly consists of three parts: a control board 301, a feedback board 302, and a silicon carbide inverter board 303.

[0038] The control board 301 is the core control board, mainly implementing motor motion control and encoder feedback functions, including adjusting and feeding back parameters such as motor speed, direction, and acceleration. The feedback board 302 mainly implements functions such as inverter current acquisition, bus voltage acquisition, brake control, and temperature feedback. The silicon carbide inverter board 303 is the servo driver power board, mainly implementing the mutual inversion function of DC and AC power. The signal transmission direction between the three is as follows: After receiving the information flow from the robot control module 102 in the teach pendant 100, the driver control board 301 executes the kinematic parameters according to the plan and feeds back the encoder values ​​in real time. After receiving the motion control parameters from the control board 301 and the safety signal from the teach pendant 100, the feedback board 302 performs inverter current acquisition, bus voltage acquisition, brake control, and temperature feedback, and then uses the SiCmos chip module 3031 to perform mutual inversion of DC and AC power.

[0039] As a specific implementation of the robot body 200, the robot body 200 is a six-degree-of-freedom robotic arm. The robotic arm unit includes a forearm 201, an upper arm 202 and a base 203. Two joint axes are provided at the end of the forearm 201 away from the upper arm 202, between the forearm 201 and the upper arm 202, and between the upper arm 202 and the base 203. Each joint axis is powered by a motor.

[0040] Specifically, the joint axes include axis 1 (205), axis 2 (206), axis 3 (207), axis 4 (208), axis 5 (209), and axis 6 (210).

[0041] A crucial step in achieving high protection without a control cabinet is to relocate the servo drivers from the control cabinet to the inside of the robot body 200. In this embodiment, six drivers 300 are provided. Two driver slots are respectively provided on the forearm 201, the upper arm 202, and the base 203, with one driver 300 in each slot. The two drivers 300 in the forearm 201 driver slot are respectively connected to the motors of the two joint axes at the end of the forearm 201 away from the upper arm 202 via bidirectional signal connections. The two drivers 300 in the upper arm 202 driver slot are respectively connected to the motors of the two joint axes between the forearm 201 and the upper arm 202 via bidirectional signal connections. The two drivers 300 in the base 203 driver slot are respectively connected to the motors of the two joint axes between the upper arm 202 and the base 203 via bidirectional signal connections.

[0042] As a specific connection method, the control board 301 and the feedback board 302 of the servo driver 300 are connected by copper pillars, and the feedback board 302 and the silicon carbide inverter substrate 303 are connected by a patch nut. The silicon carbide inverter substrate 303 is connected to a heat sink 306. In order to increase the heat conduction efficiency and the tightness of the fit, the heat sink 306 is also connected to the bottom surface of the driver slot by a patch nut, and a thermal grease layer is coated between the heat sink 306 and the bottom surface of the driver slot to ensure the efficiency of heat conduction.

[0043] To facilitate the rational arrangement of electrical modules and enhance heat dissipation, a large storage space is designed within the base 203 to accommodate the electrical module group. The electrical module group includes a filtering module, an I / O allocation and deployment module, a current distribution module, and an air source opening and closing module, which are used for filtering, I / O allocation and deployment, current distribution, and air source opening and closing, respectively. A heat dissipation structure 204 is provided on the outer wall of the base 203, and the heat dissipation structure 204 has multiple heat dissipation holes to increase heat dissipation capacity.

[0044] In order to provide power to the robot in a reasonable manner, a power module 400 is provided and connected to the teach pendant 100, the robot body 200 and the driver 300 respectively.

[0045] Preferably, the joint shaft is the fully sealed high-load joint structure in patent 202211075027.8, which is the mechanical basis for achieving high protection.

[0046] Preferably, the teach pendant 100 is developed based on the Android platform, which can realize the functions of platform application. Process packages (such as spraying and polishing) can be packaged into APP form for easy maintenance. Most importantly, it also has the ability to connect to the cloud for remote download (OTA), which can prevent external devices from entering sensitive environments and facilitate monitoring and maintenance.

[0047] In actual explosion-proof application scenarios, the robot system in this embodiment will be equipped with a positive pressure explosion-proof air circuit system to adjust the internal and external pressure by purging. Structurally, there will be two additional air pipes inserted into the base 203 to realize air intake and return. If there is no positive pressure requirement, the air circuit structure will be removed.

[0048] In this invention, both the teach pendant 100 and the robotic arm have passed national explosion-proof certification and obtained intrinsically safe explosion-proof certification. Therefore, it can be proven that the entire robot system can be directly applied to explosion-proof environments, and since the actuator is located inside the robot, the actuator itself does not require additional protective performance certification.

[0049] Example 2

[0050] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that:

[0051] Two drivers 300 are provided, one on the upper arm 202 and one in the base 203. Each driver slot contains one driver 300. The driver 300 in the upper arm 202 is bidirectionally connected to the motors of the two joint axes of the lower arm 201 away from the upper arm 202 and the motor of the joint axis between the lower arm 201 and the upper arm 202. The driver 300 in the base 203 is bidirectionally connected to the motors of the remaining three joint axes.

[0052] refer to Figure 6 For structural and circuit optimization considerations, the driver 300 further includes a busbar board 304 and a signal board 305. The busbar board 304 carries high-voltage busbar current, and the signal board 305 carries low-voltage signals. The busbar board 304 is fixed between the feedback board 302 and the silicon carbide inverter substrate 303 by copper pillars. The signal board 305 is disposed on the side, with its lower end connected to the silicon carbide inverter substrate 303 and its upper end connected to the control board 301. In Embodiment 1, the busbar and signal line are disposed on the control board 301, i.e., integrated as a single unit.

Claims

1. A high-protection, high-load-bearing industrial robot, characterized in that, It includes a teach pendant (100), a robot body (200), and a actuator (300); The teach pendant (100) includes a human-machine interaction module (101), a robot control module (102), and a functional safety module (103). The human-machine interaction module (101) is used for monitoring the status of the industrial robot, configuring parameters, and editing operations. The functional safety module (103) is used for processing the industrial robot enable signal and emergency stop signal. The robot control module (102) is used to perform memory management, logical operations, and implement the industrial robot motion control algorithm after receiving the information flow from the human-machine interaction module (101) and the functional safety module (103). Then, it issues motion commands and configuration parameters and passes them to the driver (300). The driver (300) then passes the feedback signal to the robot control module (102). The robot control module (102) passes the feedback signal to the human-machine interaction module (101) and the functional safety module (103). The robot body (200) is a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, which includes several robotic arm units. Adjacent robotic arm units are connected by joint axes, and each joint axis is equipped with a motor as a power source. Several drivers (300) are provided. Each driver (300) has a multi-layer PCB structure. Each driver (300) includes at least a control board (301), a feedback board (302), and a silicon carbide inverter substrate (303) connected from top to bottom. The control board (301) is equipped with a motion control module (3011) and an encoder feedback module (3012) for the industrial robot. The motion control module (3011) is used to realize the motor motion control function, and the encoder feedback module (3012) is used to realize encoder feedback. The feedback board (302) is equipped with an inverter current acquisition module (3021), a bus voltage acquisition module (3022), a brake control module (3023), and a temperature feedback module (3024). The inverter current acquisition module (3021) is used to acquire inverter current, the bus voltage acquisition module (3022) is used to acquire bus voltage, the brake control module (3023) is used to control brake, and the temperature feedback module (3024) is used to provide temperature feedback. The silicon carbide inverter substrate (303) is equipped with a SiC MOS chip module (3031), which is used to invert DC and AC power. The control board (301) and the feedback board (302), and the feedback board (302) and the silicon carbide inverter substrate (303) are connected by bidirectional signal communication. The drivers (300) are distributed as needed in several robotic arm units and achieve bidirectional signal connection with the motors in the corresponding joint axes.

2. The high-protection, high-load industrial robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robot body (200) is a six-degree-of-freedom robotic arm. The robotic arm unit includes a forearm (201), an upper arm (202), and a base (203). Two joint axes are provided at the end of the forearm (201) away from the upper arm (202), between the forearm (201) and the upper arm (202), and between the upper arm (202) and the base (203). Each joint axis is powered by a motor.

3. The high-protection, high-load industrial robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The driver (300) is provided in six parts. Two driver slots are provided on the forearm (201), the upper arm (202) and the base (203). One driver (300) is provided in each driver slot. The two drivers (300) provided in the driver slot of the forearm (201) are respectively connected to the motors of the two joint axes of the forearm (201) away from the upper arm (202) in a bidirectional signal connection. The two drivers (300) provided in the driver slot of the upper arm (202) are respectively connected to the motors of the two joint axes between the forearm (201) and the upper arm (202) in a bidirectional signal connection. The two drivers (300) provided in the driver slot of the base (203) are respectively connected to the motors of the two joint axes between the upper arm (202) and the base (203) in a bidirectional signal connection.

4. The high-protection, high-load industrial robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, The control board (301) of the servo driver (300) is connected to the feedback board (302) by copper pillars. The feedback board (302) is connected to the silicon carbide inverter substrate (303) by a patch nut. The silicon carbide inverter substrate (303) is connected to a heat sink (306). The heat sink (306) is also connected to the bottom surface of the driver slot by a patch nut. A thermally conductive silicone grease layer is coated between the heat sink (306) and the bottom surface of the driver slot.

5. The high-protection, high-load industrial robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, Two drivers (300) are provided, one driver slot on the upper arm (202) and one in the base (203), and one driver (300) in each driver slot. The driver (300) in the upper arm (202) is bidirectionally connected to the motors of the two joint axes of the lower arm (201) away from the upper arm (202) and the motor of the joint axis between the lower arm (201) and the upper arm (202). The driver (300) in the base (203) is bidirectionally connected to the motors of the remaining three joint axes.

6. The high-protection, high-load industrial robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The driver (300) also includes a busbar board (304) and a signal board (305). The busbar board (304) is used to carry high-voltage busbar current, and the signal board (305) is used to carry low-voltage signals. The control board (301) and the feedback board (302) of the servo driver (300) are connected by copper pillars. The feedback board (302) and the silicon carbide inverter substrate (303) are connected by patch nuts. The silicon carbide inverter substrate (303) is connected to a heat sink (306). The heat sink (306) is also connected to the bottom surface of the driver slot by patch nuts. A thermally conductive silicone grease layer is coated between the heat sink (306) and the bottom surface of the driver slot. The bus board (304) is fixed between the feedback board (302) and the silicon carbide inverter substrate (303) by copper pillars. The signal board (305) is set on the side, with its lower end connected to the silicon carbide inverter substrate (303) and its upper end connected to the control board (301).

7. The high-protection, high-load industrial robot according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that, An electrical module group is provided inside the base (203). The electrical module group includes a filter module, an IO distribution deployment module, a current distribution module, and an air source opening and closing module, which are used for filtering, IO distribution deployment, current distribution, and air source opening and closing, respectively. A heat dissipation structure (204) is provided on the outer wall of the base (203), and a plurality of heat dissipation holes are provided on the heat dissipation structure (204).

8. The high-protection, high-load industrial robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, A power module (400) is provided and connected to the teach pendant (100), the robot body (200) and the driver (300) respectively.

9. The high-protection, high-load industrial robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The teach pendant (100) is developed based on the Android platform.

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