Inflatable Robot Joint Seal for Wash-Down Wear Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robot joints in food processing environments face contamination risks due to inadequate sealing, which leads to wear and failure under dynamic loads and high-pressure wash-down conditions, necessitating a solution that provides both fluid-tight sealing and allows for relative movement.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an inflatable seal within the joint gap between robot parts, which can be pressurized to expand axially and controlled to adapt to different operational modes, minimizing wear and ensuring effective sealing during both normal operation and high-pressure wash-downs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a traditional seal is used in the robot joint, then the joint can maintain structural simplicity, but the seal will experience extensive wear due to sustained dynamic loads and shear forces
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is designed as an inflatable structure that can dynamically adjust its contact pressure with the joint surfaces. By inflating or deflating the seal, the contact pressure can be increased during static periods to enhance sealing, and reduced during dynamic operation to minimize wear from shear loads, thus resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and seal durability
Solution Approach 2:
The contact pressure parameter of the seal is made variable through inflation/deflation mechanisms. This allows the seal to operate with low contact pressure during movement (reducing wear) and high contact pressure during stationary periods (enhancing sealing), thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing device complexity
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the seal is inflated to provide fluid-tight sealing during wash-down, then protection against contamination is improved, but wear due to shear load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal inflation is applied periodically or intermittently rather than continuously. The seal is inflated during wash-down operations to provide fluid-tight sealing and protection against contamination, then deflated or pressure-reduced during normal operation to minimize wear. This periodic application of high contact pressure resolves the contradiction between contamination protection and seal wear
Solution Approach 2:
The seal's contact pressure is dynamically adjusted based on operational requirements. During wash-down, the seal is inflated to high pressure to prevent contamination ingress. During normal operation with relative movement, the pressure is reduced to minimize shear load and wear. This dynamic adaptation allows the seal to provide maximum protection when needed while minimizing wear during movement
3Reliability
If the inflatable seal expands axially to seal the joint gap, then sealing performance is improved, but the complexity of the joint structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is constructed as an inflatable membrane or thin-walled structure that can expand axially to fill the joint gap. This flexible shell approach provides effective sealing with relatively simple construction, as the inflatable element can be integrated into the existing joint structure without requiring complex mechanical sealing components, thus improving sealing performance while limiting the increase in device complexity
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 inflatable seal design enhances sealing performance and extends the seal's lifespan, reducing wear and maintenance costs while maintaining hygiene standards by adapting contact pressure according to operational needs.
Implementation Method 1
an inflatable seal accommodated in the joint gap to provide a fluid-tight sealing of the joint... pressurizing the inflatable seal such that the inflatable seal expands in an axial direction
Implementation Method 2
provide a fluid-tight sealing of the joint... minimize wear and ensure effective sealing during both normal operation and high-pressure wash-downs
Data Source
AI summary
A robot joint including a first part and a second part arranged to have a relative movement in between, and a joint gap spacing the first part and the second part from each other, wherein the robot joint includes an inflatable seal accommodated in the joint gap to provide a fluid-tight sealing of the joint. The disclosure also relates to a robot including the robot joint, a system including the robot and a method for sealing a joint gap of a robot joint.