Industrial Robot Drive System with Dual Motors in Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial robots face challenges in achieving high-duty operation with compact configurations due to increased motor rating and rotor inertia, which limits acceleration and requires large motor sizes, making it difficult to maintain high-speed and high-acceleration operations continuously.
Innovation Solution
The use of two motors for each basic axial portion, with all motors integrated into the robot base, reduces load on each motor and allows for continuous high-speed and high-acceleration operation without increasing the size of the robot, enabling a compact design and avoiding motor-related loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the motor rating is increased to improve operation performance, then the motor can provide higher torque, but the motor size and rotor inertia increase, which limits acceleration capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the drive system into multiple motors (at least two motors per basic axial portion) instead of using a single high-power motor. This segmentation allows the robot to achieve high torque output while keeping individual motor sizes compact, as the total power is distributed across multiple smaller motor units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple motors to drive a single basic axial portion, merging their outputs to achieve the required torque. This approach allows the system to accumulate power from multiple compact motors rather than relying on one large motor, thereby maintaining acceleration capability while achieving high operation performance.
2Power
If the motor rating is increased to improve operation performance, then the motor can provide higher torque, but the rotor inertia increases, which reduces acceleration capability
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the drive system into multiple motors, the patent reduces the rotor inertia of individual motors while maintaining total power output. The combined effect of multiple low-inertia motors provides both high torque and high acceleration capability, resolving the trade-off between power and acceleration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter configuration from a single high-power motor to multiple lower-power motors, altering the inertia characteristics of the system. This parameter change allows the robot to achieve both high torque output and high acceleration by operating with multiple motors that have lower individual rotor inertias.
3Productivity
If the robot is designed for high-speed and high-acceleration operation, then the operation performance improves, but the robot requires a larger size to accommodate high-rated motors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the motor system into multiple compact units that can be distributed within the robot base, eliminating the need for a single large motor housing. This segmentation allows the robot to maintain a compact overall size while achieving high-speed and high-acceleration performance through the combined output of multiple motors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent arranges multiple motors in a three-dimensional configuration within the robot base, utilizing spatial distribution to accommodate multiple motor units without increasing the robot's external dimensions. This dimensional arrangement allows compact integration of multiple drive sources while maintaining high operation performance.
4Speed
If motors are arranged on the upper arm to reduce transmission distance, then the response speed improves, but the motor weight adds to the arm load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the motors from the moving arm structure and relocates them to the stationary robot base. This extraction eliminates the weight penalty of motors on the arm while maintaining high response speed through direct coupling of the drive system to the power transmission mechanism, resolving the trade-off between response speed and arm load.
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial robot (10) comprising three power transmission units (21, 22, 23) arranged concentrically and three drive means for driving the three power transmission units, respectively, is disclosed. The drive means for at least one of the three power transmission units includes two motors (31, 34). Also, all of the three power transmission units and the three drive means are desirably built into the base (15) of the industrial robot. This configuration makes it possible to have high-duty operation with a comparatively compact structure.