Robot joint with an electric drive motor
US4784014A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 9, 1986 |
| Grant date | Nov 15, 1988 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 9, 2006 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T74/19
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A robot joint has a support carrying a rotary robot arm. An electric drive motor is mounted on the support and its drive shaft is coupled to the robot arm by harmonic drive-type reduction gears. The reduction gears include an elastically deformable, externally toothed ring whose elliptical shape is rotated by the drive shaft. The externally toothed ring itself is stationary and is firmly connected to the support by a flexible sleeve provided at its free end with a rigid mounting flange. The annular mounting face of the flange and the opposite mounting face on the support is each provided with radial teeth, preferably in the form of Hirth-type gears, which guarantee an accurate centering of the sleeve and safeguard the same against turning. Preferably, the flange is fastened to the end face of a steel bushing which is pressed into a bore in the support and secured against turning by knurled serrations. The robot arm is mounted for rotation in a pretensioned cross-roller bearing which provides a compact and bend resistant connection to the support.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.