Industrial Robot Arm Connecting Member for Connection Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial robots with parallel link mechanisms face issues of arm disconnection due to sudden movements or collisions, leading to potential arm fall-off during operation, and existing connecting members are prone to disengagement, making maintenance and disassembly challenging.
Innovation Solution
An arm member with a connecting member that includes a first and second connecting piece, a spring member to bias the rods towards each other, and a regulating member to maintain the rods' distance, preventing unintentional separation and facilitating easy removal during maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the socket of each rod is formed to be relatively shallow to secure a wider movable area and facilitate maintenance, then the ease of operation and ease of repair are improved, but the reliability deteriorates because the rods may be unintentionally widely separated during sudden movements or collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting member with spring biasing action is installed in advance to prevent the rods from separating during sudden movements or collisions. The spring continuously applies a restoring force that counteracts any unintended separation, thereby preventing disconnection before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring member acts as a cushioning element that absorbs sudden forces or impacts that might cause the rods to separate. By providing elastic compliance, the spring cushions against shock loads during rapid acceleration or collision, maintaining connection stability while allowing the shallow socket design for ease of operation.
2Ease of repair
If the connecting member uses hooks at both ends that are hooked to the engaging portion of each rod to enable easy removal for maintenance, then the ease of repair is improved, but the reliability deteriorates because the hook may disengage from the engaging portion during sudden movements
Solution Approach 1:
The spring biasing mechanism is installed in advance to prevent hook disengagement during sudden movements. The continuous elastic force ensures the hooks remain engaged with the rod engaging portions, counteracting any forces that might cause disconnection before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring member provides cushioning against shock loads that might cause hook disengagement. By absorbing sudden forces during rapid acceleration or collision, the spring maintains the engagement between hooks and rod engaging portions, preventing reliability failures while preserving ease of repair.
3Device complexity
If the connecting member relies solely on spring biasing to maintain rod connection, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates because the rods may still separate during rapid acceleration or collision
Solution Approach 1:
The solution merges two mechanisms: the spring biasing mechanism for maintaining connection and the stopper mechanism for limiting separation distance. This combination integrates simple elastic compliance with mechanical constraint, achieving high reliability without significantly increasing device complexity. The stopper works in conjunction with the spring to provide both force and geometric constraint.
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 effectively prevents arm disconnection during operation and allows for easy disassembly and maintenance by regulating rod displacement, ensuring stable operation and improved maintainability of industrial robots.
Implementation Method 1
the connecting member pushes the socket toward the ball stud (ball head portion), so as to maintain the connection of the second arm (rod) and the first arm and the like by the elastic force of a spring
Implementation Method 2
a regulating member that is removably installed between the two connecting pieces for regulating displacement of the two rods in departing directions, so that the distance between the two rods becomes less than the predetermined distance
Data Source
AI summary
An arm member has: a first rod and a second rod each of which has a rod side joint portion which is assembled with the counterpart joint portion; and a connecting member which interconnects the two rods. The assembled state of the rod side joint portion with the counterpart joint portions is released by separating the two rods from each other for a predetermined distance or more. The connecting member includes: a first connecting piece disposed on the first rod; a second connecting piece disposed on the second rod; a spring member which is installed between the two connecting pieces and biases the two rods in directions to approach each other; and a regulating member that regulates displacement of the two rods in the departing directions, so that the distance between the two rods becomes less than the predetermined distance.