Multi-Joint Robot Arm 360-Degree Distal End Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robots with robot arms have a limited operation range, making it difficult to move objects to target locations without rotating the main arm, which restricts their ability to perform tasks efficiently, especially when obstacles are present.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an nth arm and an (n+1)th arm that can rotate about different shafts, allowing the distal end of the robot arm to move over 360° without rotating the main arm, by performing specific operations such as overlapping and rotating the arms in a manner that avoids obstacles and reduces the path length to the target.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the robot arm uses conventional single-arm rotation, then the structure is simple, but the operation range is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The robot arm is divided into multiple segments (nth arm and (n+1)th arm) that can rotate independently about different shafts. This segmentation allows each arm segment to contribute to the overall operation range, enabling the distal end to reach positions that would require main arm rotation in conventional designs, while maintaining a relatively simple individual segment structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an additional rotational dimension by adding the (n+1)th arm that rotates about a shaft in a different direction from the nth arm's shaft. This dimensional addition expands the operation space from a single rotational plane to a three-dimensional workspace, allowing the distal end to achieve positions that would otherwise require rotating the entire main arm.
2Productivity
If the main arm rotates to change the distal end position, then the operation range increases, but the path length to target increases and work efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The nth and (n+1)th arms are positioned and oriented in advance to enable the distal end to reach target positions directly without requiring preliminary rotation of the main arm. By pre-configuring the arm segments' orientations, the system eliminates the time-consuming main arm rotation step, allowing the distal end to move efficiently to target locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot arm system dynamically adjusts the rotation of the nth and (n+1)th arms based on the target position, rather than relying on static main arm rotation. This dynamic coordination of multiple arm segments allows for optimized movement paths that minimize travel distance and time, improving work efficiency by adapting the arm configuration to each specific task requirement.
3Reliability
If the robot arm operates with limited range, then the structure remains compact, but obstacles cannot be avoided and collisions occur
Solution Approach 1:
By introducing rotation about a second shaft direction through the (n+1)th arm, the system expands the workspace area in three dimensions rather than merely increasing the two-dimensional footprint. This dimensional expansion allows the robot arm to navigate around obstacles within the workspace without requiring a larger overall structure, maintaining compactness while improving collision avoidance capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot includes a robot arm having an nth (n is an integer equal to or more than one) arm and an (n+1)th arm, the nth arm is rotatable about an nth rotation shaft, the (n+1)th arm is provided on the nth arm rotatably about an (n+1)th rotation shaft in a shaft direction different from a shaft direction of the nth rotation shaft, and, while a distal end of the robot arm is moved from a first point to a second point, a first operation such that the nth arm and the (n+1)th arm overlap as seen from the shaft direction of the (n+1)th rotation shaft and a second operation of rotating the nth arm are performed.