Industrial Robot Lower Arm Housing for Compact Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial robots with multi-joint structures face challenges in downsizing while maintaining rigidity and maintenance properties, particularly in the lower arm portion, which affects vibration and precise positioning.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a lower arm portion with a housing that supports joint shafts via proximal and distal end side support portions, separate power transmission mechanisms, and a cable bundle arrangement to reduce weight and prevent contact, allowing for a more compact and maintainable robot.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the lower arm portion and upper arm portion are thinned to downsize the robot, then the robot size is reduced, but the rigidity of the robot is lowered causing vibration and poor positioning precision
Solution Approach 1:
The lower arm portion is divided into multiple functional segments: a housing containing drive mechanisms, support portions for joint shafts, and cable routing structures. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the housing provides structural rigidity while containing compact drive mechanisms, support portions provide localized stiffness where needed, and cable routing is separated from mechanical structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent nests multiple functional elements within the lower arm portion housing: drive motors are housed within the housing, power transmission mechanisms are contained within the same housing, cable bundles are routed through dedicated spaces within the housing, and support portions are integrated into the housing structure. This nesting achieves downsizing by eliminating the need for separate external components while maintaining rigidity through the integrated housing structure.
2Volume of moving object
If the lower arm portion is downsized, then the robot is more compact, but the maintenance property for motors and power transmission mechanisms is lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The lower arm portion is segmented into a modular housing that contains all drive mechanisms, power transmission components, and cable routing. This modular housing can be detached as a unit from the robot, allowing maintenance personnel to access and service motors and power transmission mechanisms by simply removing the housing rather than disassembling the entire lower arm portion, thus maintaining ease of repair despite compact dimensions.
3Weight of moving object
If the housing is thinned to reduce weight, then the lower arm portion weight is reduced, but the rigidity provided by the housing is lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction for the housing, combining materials with different properties to achieve both weight reduction and rigidity maintenance. The housing may use high-strength, low-density materials such as aluminum alloys or composite materials that provide sufficient structural stiffness while minimizing weight, allowing the thinned housing design to meet both weight and rigidity requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial robot includes a lower arm portion including: a pair of proximal-end-side support parts; a pair of distal-end-side support parts; and a housing which integrally supports the proximal-end-side support parts and the distal-end-side support parts. The housing houses a first drive motor, a second drive motor, a first power transmission mechanism, a second power transmission mechanism, and a cable bundle. In the housing, the first power transmission mechanism and the second power transmission mechanism are disposed on an axial end side of either a first joint shaft or a second joint shaft, and the cable bundle is disposed on an axial end side of the other joint shaft.