Ball Joint Resilient Pressing Mechanism for Parallel Robot Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing parallel robots face challenges in maintaining precise movement stability and location precision due to potential gaps between ball members and socket members, especially under varying conditions such as assembly errors or wear, which affect their ability to provide six degrees of freedom effectively.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a resilient pressing mechanism using springs between ball members and socket members, along with a compression system and fixing rings, ensures a tight and stable connection, eliminating gaps and enhancing movement stability and precision by applying pre-compression and allowing for easy adjustment and lubrication through an oil hole.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a traditional ball joint connection is used between links and platforms, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but gaps may form between ball members and socket members under assembly errors or wear, reducing movement precision and stability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemovement precisionVSAvoidjoint structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient pressing mechanism applies pre-compression force to the ball member before operation begins, ensuring continuous solid contact with the socket member. This preliminary action prevents gaps from forming during operation, maintaining movement precision without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The resilient pressing mechanism dynamically adjusts the contact parameters between ball and socket members by applying elastic force. This changes the mechanical state from potential gap contact to continuous solid contact, improving movement precision while adding only moderate structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of manufacture

If assembly tolerances are loosened to simplify manufacturing, then ease of manufacture improves, but gaps between ball members and socket members increase, reducing reliability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassembly easeVSAvoidconnection reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient pressing mechanism compensates for assembly tolerance variations by applying elastic pre-compression force. This ensures that regardless of minor assembly variations, the ball member maintains solid contact with the socket member, preserving connection reliability while allowing easier manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The resilient pressing mechanism provides beforehand cushioning by pre-compressing the ball member against the socket member. This compensates for potential gaps that would otherwise form due to assembly tolerances or wear, ensuring continuous reliable contact without requiring tight manufacturing tolerances.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Stability of the object's composition

If a tight fit between ball members and socket members is enforced to maintain precision, then movement stability improves, but assembly difficulty increases and wear accelerates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemovement stabilityVSAvoidassembly difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient pressing mechanism applies pre-compression to create tight contact between ball and socket members during assembly, ensuring movement stability from the start. This preliminary tightening action maintains stability without requiring excessively tight fits that would accelerate wear.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The resilient pressing mechanism introduces an elastic element (spring) into the joint system, creating a composite structure that combines rigid ball and socket members with flexible compression elements. This composite approach maintains tight contact for stability while the elastic element accommodates minor variations and reduces wear.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution ensures solid contact between ball and socket members, maintaining precise movement and stability of the moveable platform with six degrees of freedom, even under conditions of assembly errors or wear, thereby improving the overall performance and reliability of the parallel robot.

Implementation Method 1

a resilient pressing mechanism between the ball member and the socket member to apply a compression to tightly match the ball member to the socket member

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS9394936B2Ball joint

Publication Date: 2016.07.19 SHENZHENSHI YUZHAN PRECISION TECH CO LTD

AI summary

A ball joint includes a ball member, a socket member, and a resilient pressing mechanism. The ball member couples with the socket member. The resilient pressing mechanism is positioned between the ball member and the socket member, applying compression to cause the ball member to tightly contact the socket member. The resilient pressing mechanism includes a plurality of springs positioned in parallel between the ball member and the socket member.