Modular Articulated Robot With Standardized Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing articulated robots require cumbersome processes to change their degrees of freedom, involving numerous components and complex connections, making it difficult to adapt to different tasks.
Innovation Solution
An articulated robot design featuring modular units with standardized mechanical and electrical connectors, allowing easy reconfiguration of joint units and the end effector, facilitated by a control unit that can communicate wirelessly and identify unit types and states, enabling flexible adjustment of degrees of freedom without the need for additional motor drivers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If connection blocks are used to couple actuator devices forming joints, then the articulated robot can be constructed with multiple joints, but the number of components to be coupled is large and the work of changing the degrees of freedom is cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The articulated robot is divided into multiple modular units, each containing an actuator device, a coupler, and connection structures. These units can be independently configured and connected to change the degrees of freedom without requiring reconfiguration of the entire robot, thus reducing the complexity of component coupling while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection structures include standardized first and second connection structures that can be universally applied across different units. The first connection structure on one unit couples with the second connection structure on another unit, enabling flexible reconfiguration of the robot's degrees of freedom using the same standardized interface, thereby reducing the number of specialized components needed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of joint units is increased to change degrees of freedom, then the robot can adapt to different tasks, but the complexity of reconfiguration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot's configuration is designed to be dynamically reconfigurable through the coupling of units with standardized connection structures. The dynamic nature of the connection system allows units to be added, removed, or repositioned to change degrees of freedom, while the standardized interface simplifies the reconfiguration process and maintains ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized connection structures enable units to be self-configuring through simple coupling operations. The first and second connection structures are designed to automatically align and connect when units are joined, reducing the need for complex assembly procedures and making the reconfiguration process more straightforward despite increasing the number of joint units.
Data Source
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AI summary
An articulated robot includes: different types of joint units, each joint unit including a stationary body, a stationary body-side mechanical connector provided in the stationary body for mechanical connection to another unit, a displaceable body coupled to the stationary body by a coupler, a displaceable body-side mechanical connector provided in the displaceable body for mechanical connection to another unit, and an actuator configured to displace the displaceable body relative to the stationary body; and a control unit including a controller configured to control the actuator and a control unit mechanical connector for mechanical connection to another unit, wherein displacement undergone by the displaceable body-side mechanical connector relative to the stationary body-side mechanical connector differs depending on the type of the joint unit, the stationary body-side mechanical connector includes a first connection structure, the displaceable body-side mechanical connector and the control unit mechanical connector each include a second connection structure, and the first connection structure and the second connection structure are connectable to each other.