Helical Hydraulic Hose Routing Through Robotic Pivot Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulic hoses routed through pivot joints in robotic arms often cause restrictions in movement and are difficult to accommodate due to their external routing, which increases the robot's dimensions and poses hazards, especially in navigating restricted spaces.
Innovation Solution
A helical configuration of hydraulic hoses is used to pass through restricted spaces like pivot joints, allowing for internal routing and minimizing interference with other components, such as electrical wiring, while maintaining flexibility and reducing stiffness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hydraulic hoses are routed externally through pivot joints, then they can be easily installed and maintained, but they cause restrictions in movement and increase the robot's dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic hoses are routed internally through the robotic arm structure, nesting them within the existing mechanical components. This eliminates external routing while maintaining accessibility for installation and maintenance through designated access points in the arm structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The hoses are arranged in a helical configuration around the longitudinal axis of the robotic arm, utilizing the third dimension (circumferential space) rather than extending externally. This allows the hoses to pass through the arm without increasing its external dimensions.
2Ease of manufacture
If hydraulic hoses are routed externally, then installation is simplified, but they pose hazards and are difficult to accommodate in restricted spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic hoses are integrated within the robotic arm's internal structure, nesting them protected within the arm's housing and structural components. This eliminates exposure to external hazards while the hoses remain accessible through maintenance access points.
Solution Approach 2:
The hazardous external routing is extracted and replaced with internal routing. The hoses are taken out from the external environment and repositioned within the protected internal volume of the robotic arm, eliminating snagging hazards.
3Volume of moving object
If multiple hydraulic hoses are bundled together, then space is saved, but they become stiff and interfere with other components
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic hoses are arranged in a helical (curved) configuration around the arm's longitudinal axis rather than being bundled in a straight linear arrangement. This curved geometry allows the hose bundle to flex and bend more easily, reducing stiffness while maintaining compact space utilization within the arm.
Solution Approach 2:
The helical arrangement provides dynamic flexibility to the hose bundle, allowing it to adapt its configuration as the robotic arm moves. The curved geometry enables the hoses to accommodate angular movements and bending without creating excessive stiffness or interference with other components.
Data Source
AI summary
In an implementation, a hydraulically-powered robot has a first body portion having a first internal volume, a second body portion having a second internal volume, and a plurality of hydraulic hoses. The second body portion is rotatably coupled to the first body portion. Each hydraulic hose of the plurality of hydraulic hoses includes a respective first hose portion positioned within the first internal volume of the first body portion and a respective second hose portion positioned within the second internal volume of the second body portion. The plurality of hydraulic hoses is arranged in a helical configuration about an axis that extends from the first internal volume of the first body portion to the second internal volume of the second body portion. A path of the helical configuration of the plurality of hydraulic hoses may traverse a restricted space between the first body portion and the second body portion.