Detachable Ball Joint Boot Seal for Hermetic Robot Joint Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boot seals for robot joints are not easily detachable or replaceable without tools, and they fail to provide reliable water-tight sealing and lubricant retention during swiveling and rotation, leading to dust and moisture ingress and lubricant loss.
Innovation Solution
A detachable boot seal with a flexible cover main body featuring a slit that can be opened and closed using a fastener, allowing for easy installation and removal without disassembling the ball joint, and providing hermetic sealing between the ball shank and holder through a combination of through-holes and hermetically closing members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If a traditional cylindrical elastomer boot seal is used to hermetically seal the gap between ball shank and holder, then water-tight sealing and lubricant retention are achieved, but the boot seal cannot be easily detached or replaced without disassembling the ball joint
Solution Approach 1:
The boot seal is divided into a cover main body and a separate opening/closing member that can be independently attached and detached. The opening/closing member features a clip structure with engagement protrusions that snap onto the cover main body, allowing the boot seal to be opened for replacement while maintaining hermetic sealing when closed
Solution Approach 2:
The boot seal transitions from a static sealed structure to a dynamic one with a slit that can be opened and closed. The opening/closing member provides movable engagement through clips that can be detached and reattached, enabling the boot seal to switch between open and sealed states as needed for maintenance operations
2Ease of operation
If the boot seal is made as a single integrated cylindrical elastomer piece, then hermetic sealing is maintained, but the boot seal cannot be easily opened for lubricant replenishment or inspection
Solution Approach 1:
The boot seal is segmented into a cover main body and an opening/closing member connected by a slit. The opening/closing member can be independently manipulated to open the slit for maintenance access while the cover main body remains in place, providing both accessibility and sealing integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The slit acts as an intermediary element between the open and sealed states of the boot seal. It allows controlled access to the interior for lubricant replenishment while maintaining the overall sealed structure when closed, bridging the need for both maintenance access and sealing
3Ease of repair
If the boot seal completely surrounds the ball shank and holder gap, then hermetic sealing is achieved, but the boot seal cannot be removed without disassembling the ball joint components
Solution Approach 1:
The boot seal is segmented with a slit and separated into a cover main body and opening/closing member. This allows the boot seal to be opened and removed as a unit without requiring disassembly of the ball joint components themselves, simplifying the replacement process while maintaining complete coverage for sealing
4Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible material is used for the cover main body to allow swiveling and rotation, then movement freedom is achieved, but hermetic sealing becomes more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The cover main body is made of flexible material to accommodate swiveling and rotation movements of the ball joint. The flexibility allows the cover to deform with movement while the separate opening/closing member maintains hermetic sealing through its clip engagement structure, combining movement freedom with sealing reliability
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
The solution ensures reliable water-tight sealing, prevents dust and moisture ingress, and retains lubricant, allowing for tool-free replacement and retrofitting of the boot seal, while maintaining structural integrity during swiveling and rotation.
Implementation Method 1
an opening/closing member for opening and hermetically closing the slit along an entire length thereof
Implementation Method 2
a cover main body that is formed of a flexible material and that covers a gap between the ball shank and the holder
Implementation Method 3
hold, in the boot seal, a lubricant, such as grease, that is supplied to the gap between the ball section and the ball-receiving section
Data Source
AI summary
A boot seal is detachably attached to a joint including: a drive link and link members; and a ball joint for linking them to be relatively rotatable or swivelable. The ball joint includes a ball shank having a shaft section fixed to the drive link and a ball section provided on one end of the shaft section and a holder that is fixed to an end section of each of the link members and that has a ball-receiving section for supporting the ball section in a state where the ball section is surrounded. A cover main body that covers the gap between the ball shank and the holder and that is formed of a flexible material includes through-holes through which the shaft section is made to pass, a slit that continuously extends between the through-holes, and a fastener opening and hermetically closing the slit along the entire length thereof.