Robot Gear Housing Rotation for Backlash and Mesh Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gear mechanisms in industrial robots face challenges in efficiently adjusting inter-axial distances between gears, which affects proper backlash and engagement, often requiring multiple parts and complex processing, making adjustments cumbersome and costly.
Innovation Solution
A gear mechanism comprising a pair of housings with rotatable gears that are combined by mating cylindrical surfaces, allowing relative rotation about a central axis to adjust inter-axial distances between gears, eliminating the need for pins and simplifying the adjustment process by using bearings or spacers as alternatives to pins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional gear adjustment methods using pins are employed, then gear engagement can be achieved, but the number of parts increases and adjustment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the pin component from the gear adjustment mechanism entirely. Instead of using pins to adjust inter-axial distances, the invention uses the relative rotation of housing (3, 4) about the first axis to directly change the positions of second gears (9, 11) relative to first gears (6, 8), thereby eliminating unnecessary parts and simplifying the adjustment mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, enables gear engagement, and facilitates adjustment through relative rotation. The ability to rotate housing (3, 4) about the first axis allows a single structural element to perform both positioning and adjustment functions, reducing the need for separate adjustment components.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple parts are used for gear adjustment, then positioning can be achieved, but processing time and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into the housing structure itself. The housing (3, 4) integrates support, positioning, and adjustment functions through its ability to rotate about the first axis. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate components and simplifies manufacturing processes while maintaining positioning precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces dynamic adjustment capability through the relative rotation of housing (3, 4) about the first axis. This dynamic mechanism allows for easy adjustment of inter-axial distances between gears without requiring multiple static components or complex assembly procedures, thereby improving ease of manufacture while maintaining precision.
3Reliability
If complex adjustment procedures are used, then proper backlash can be achieved, but adjustment time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic rotation of housing (3, 4) about the first axis provides a simple and quick method to adjust the inter-axial distances between gears. This dynamic adjustment mechanism allows operators to achieve proper backlash rapidly by simply rotating the housing, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual adjustments or complex procedures involving multiple components.
Data Source
AI summary
A gear mechanism including: a pair of housings that are combined in a positioned state by mating a cylindrical inner surface and a cylindrical outer surface centered on a first axis with each other; two first gears that are attached to one housing so as to be rotatable about the first axis and a second axis parallel to the first axis; and two second gears that are rotatably attached to the other housing, and that are respectively engaged with the two first gears in a state in which the pair of housings are combined. The first gear that is attached so as to be rotatable about the second axis and the second gear that is engaged with the first gear are arranged at positions where an inter-axial distance therebetween is changed by means of a relative rotation of the housings about the first axis.