Smart servo motor and actuator assembly using a plurality of smart servo motors
AssigneeRobotShop Japan Co., Ltd.
InventorYves Lacroix
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided is a smart servo motor capable of allowing communication without using any unique ID and an actuator assembly using such smart servo motors. A main controller 11 is connected to a plurality of smart servo motors 1-1 . . . 1-N via a single communication path 13, where the main controller 11 can communicate with the individual smart servo motors using their unique IDs. Operating a selector of one smart servo motor 1-u permits communication between the smart servo motor 1-u and the main controller 11 with a special ID such as code “255”. With this communication, the main controller 11 can retrieve the unique ID assigned to the smart servo motor 1-u.
Claims10
An actuator assembly comprising:
- a plurality of smart servo motors and a main controller, each of the smart servo motors comprising:
- a motor;
- a motor driver for driving the motor;
- a detector for detecting rotation of a driving shaft;
- a motor controller for controlling the motor driver with a detection output received from the detector;
- and,
- a manually operable selector device;
- wherein the manually operable selector device of each of the smart servo motors has a push button, rotary switch or touch switch and is capable of being operated independently from other manually operable selector devices of other smart servo motors by manually operating the push button, rotary switch or touch switch;
- wherein the motor controller of each of the smart servo motors is capable of establishing a special ID communication mode on detecting a change in signal generated by manually operating the push button, rotary switch or touch switch;
- wherein the main controller is capable of not only communicating with each of the smart servo motors using different unique IDs respectively assigned to individual smart servo motors, but also communicating with all the smart servo motors using a special ID instead of the unique ID assigned thereto, the special ID being a predefined ID different from any unique ID;
- and,
- wherein when at least one of the smart servo motors is placed in the special ID communication mode by manually operating the push button, rotary switch or touch switch, the main controller communicates only with said at least one of the smart servo motors placed in the special ID communication mode using the special ID instead of the unique ID assigned thereto, whereby the main controller becomes capable of retrieving the unique ID from said at least one of the smart servo motors placed in the special ID communication mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.