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US 2025/0350168 A1Published application
Revolute Joint for Robot
AssigneeTimeback Incorporated
InventorMason Massie
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A revolute joint incorporates a planetary gear set, which may be nested with an electric motor. An axle of the planetary gear set turns a pulley that engages with a belt, which drives a pulley that turns an output shaft of the joint. In the joint output there is a coaxial slip ring that allows continuous rotation of the joint, meaning that output revolutions are not limited for maximum possible range of motion for the robot arm. The slip ring replaces dynamic cabling (which can fatigue over time), which is good for reliability/cycle life.
Claims15
A nested motor and planetary gearset apparatus comprising:
- a stator that is wound with at least one coil;
- a rotor that is coaxial with the stator;
- a sun gear that is fixed to the rotor coaxial with the stator;
- one or more planet gears that are rotatably attached to a planet carrier and that are meshed with the sun gear;
- a ring gear that surrounds and is meshed with the planet gears;
- and
- a driven shaft that is rotatably connected coaxially with the stator;
- wherein one of the planet carrier or the ring gear is fixed to the driven shaft and the other of the planet carrier or the ring gear is fixed relative to the stator.
5 more elements
A revolute joint comprising:
- an apparatus having a stator that is wound with at least one coil;
- a rotor that is coaxial with the stator;
- a sun gear that is fixed to the rotor coaxial with the stator;
- one or more planet gears that are rotatably attached to a planet carrier and that are meshed with the sun gear;
- a ring gear that surrounds and is meshed with the planet gears;
- and
- a driven shaft that is rotatably connected coaxially with the stator;
- wherein one of the planet carrier or the ring gear is fixed to the driven shaft and the other of the planet carrier or the ring gear is fixed relative to the stator;
- a housing that encloses the apparatus;
- an output shaft that is rotatably mounted to the housing along an axis offset from the shaft of the apparatus;
- an output pulley that is fixed to the output shaft;
- a drive pulley that is fixed to the driven shaft of the apparatus;
- and
- a toothed belt that is meshed with the drive pulley and the output pulley.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.