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US 2026/0284875 A1Published application
Joint mechanism unit and robot
AssigneeFanuc Corporation
InventorsShunichi ODAKA, Kazutaka NAKAYAMA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This joint mechanism unit comprises a fixed unit, a rotating unit, a motor, a motor control unit, and a force sensor that detects force acting about a joint shaft. A single wire body connected to the motor control unit and the force sensor passes through a hollow hole formed in at least a portion of the joint mechanism unit.
Claims11
1:
- A joint mechanism, comprising:
- a fixed part,
- a rotating part which rotates relative to the fixed part,
- a motor which is arranged in one of the fixed part and the rotating part,
- a motor control unit for controlling the motor,
- a force sensor which is arranged in the other of the fixed part and the rotating part, for detecting a force acting around a joint axis of the joint mechanism, and
- a single umbilical member which is connected to the motor control unit and the force sensor, wherein
- the umbilical member passes through a hollow hole formed in at least a portion of the joint mechanism.
5 more elements
2:
- The joint mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the single umbilical member comprises at least one of a data line for transmitting and receiving control information related to the motor and detected information detected by the force sensor, and a power supply bus for supplying current to the motor control unit and the force sensor.
3:
- The joint mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the single umbilical member is bus-connected or daisy chain-connected between the motor control unit and the force sensor.
4:
- The joint mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the single umbilical member is twisted inside the hollow hole.
5:
- The joint mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a pipe member is inserted into the hollow hole and the single umbilical member passes through the pipe member.
6:
- The joint mechanism according to claim 1, wherein control information related to the motor and detected information of the force sensor are communicated using the same protocol.
7:
- The joint mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the umbilical member is supported with slack inside the hollow hole.
8:
- A robot, comprising:
- a plurality of joint mechanisms, wherein
- each of the plurality of joint mechanisms comprises:
- a fixed part,
- a rotating part which rotates relative to the fixed part,
- a motor which is arranged in one of the fixed part and the rotating part,
- a motor control unit for controlling the motor, and
- a force sensor which is arranged in the other of the fixed part and the rotating part, for detecting a force acting around a joint axis of the joint mechanism,
- the robot further comprises a single umbilical member which is connected to the motor control unit and the force sensor of each of the plurality of joint mechanisms, and
- the umbilical member passes through a hollow hole formed in at least a portion of each of the plurality of joint mechanisms.
7 more elements
9:
- The robot according to claim 8, wherein the single umbilical member comprises at least one of a data line for transmitting and receiving control information related to the motor and detected information detected by the force sensor, and a power supply bus for supplying current to the motor control unit and the force sensor,
- the robot further comprising:
- a power supply unit for supplying current to at least one of the motor control unit and the force sensor of each of the plurality of joint mechanisms via the power supply bus, and
- a host control unit for inputting and outputting the control information and the detected information to both the motor control unit and the force sensor of the plurality of joint mechanisms via the data line.
1 more element
10:
- The robot according to claim 9, wherein the host control unit includes an indication mechanism, and
- the indication mechanism selects at least one of the motor control unit and the force sensor of a specific joint mechanism among the plurality of joint mechanisms and outputs an instruction via the data line.
11:
- The robot according to claim 10, wherein the single umbilical member comprises a plurality of address buses, and the indication mechanism outputs the instruction to the specific joint mechanism using the plurality of address buses.