Industrial Robot Drive Unit Scavenging for Hygiene
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manipulators in contamination-endangered environments face challenges with mobility restrictions and increased contamination risks due to closed cooling gas flows, which hinder reliable usability, especially in the food processing and pharmaceutical industries.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where each group of drive units is associated with its own scavenging area, subjected to a scavenging medium with controlled overpressure, drying, and disinfection, ensuring reliable use by preventing contamination and maintaining hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the entire drive mechanisms are surrounded with a pressure-tight casing and a closed cooling gas flow is ensured, then cooling purposes are achieved, but mobility is considerably restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the manipulator into multiple scavenging areas, each associated with a group of drive units. Instead of enclosing the entire manipulator in one pressure-tight casing, separate scavenging areas are created that can be independently sealed and pressurized. This segmentation allows individual drive unit groups to be protected while maintaining overall manipulator mobility and flexibility.
2Temperature
If a closed flow path is used for cooling gas, then cooling is maintained, but moisture and contaminations cannot be removed and bacterial concentrations can arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a static closed cooling system to a dynamic scavenging system where the scavenging medium can be actively supplied and removed. The system allows for controlled circulation of the scavenging medium through the scavenging areas, enabling moisture and contaminations to be continuously removed while maintaining cooling effectiveness. This dynamic approach prevents bacterial concentration by ensuring continuous medium replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the state of the scavenging medium from a closed, recirculating system to an open system where parameters such as pressure, temperature, and composition can be actively controlled and adjusted. By maintaining overpressure in the scavenging areas and controlling the scavenging medium flow rate, the system achieves both cooling and hygiene requirements through parameter optimization.
3Reliability
If drive units are placed in individual air-tight containers with compressed air, then explosion protection is achieved, but construction complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual air-tight container concepts into a unified scavenging area system. Instead of creating separate sealed containers for each drive unit, the invention combines multiple drive units into grouped scavenging areas that share common scavenging medium supply and removal systems. This merging reduces the number of separate sealing interfaces and simplifies the overall construction while maintaining explosion protection through the unified overpressure system.
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
This approach enhances the manipulator's reliability and flexibility in contamination-endangered environments by maintaining a controlled ambient condition, preventing bacterial growth, and ensuring hygiene through separate scavenging medium control and disinfection, thus enabling safe use in the food sector.
Implementation Method 1
the scavenging area is subject to the action of an overpressure
Implementation Method 2
there is at least a limited overpressure which is maintained in the scavenging areas. Thus, there is a cooling effect for the drive units
Implementation Method 3
due to a dry scavenging medium also a drying effect, particularly for preventing the controlled penetration of dirt from the robot environment
Data Source
AI summary
A manipulator, such as a multiaxial industrial robot (1), particularly for use in contamination-endangered environments, including a plurality of scavenging areas (1.8a, 1.8b) to which a scavenging medium can be supplied and located in the vicinity of the drive unit of the manipulator. A plurality of groups of drive units has in each case its own scavenging area (1.8a, 1.8b) associated with it. A method is also provided for influencing at least one ambient condition, such as temperature, humidity, pressure, contamination and/or bacterial presence, in the vicinity of the drive units of a manipulator. This reliably ensures a safe operation of the inventive manipulator (1), even in areas with strict hygiene requirements.