A robot arm comprising a joint mechanism for articulating one limb relative to another limb about two non-parallel rotation axes, the mechanism comprising: an intermediate carrier attached to a first one of the limbs by a first revolute joint having a first rotation axis and to a second one of the limbs by a second revolute joint having a second rotation axis; a first drive gear disposed about the first rotation axis and fast with the carrier, whereby rotation of the carrier relative to the first limb about the first rotation axis can be driven; a second drive gear disposed about the second rotation axis and fast with the second one of the limbs, whereby rotation of the second one of the limbs about the second rotation axis relative to the carrier can be driven; at least one of the first and second drive gears being a sector gear.

Disclosed are a device and a method for controlling a motor. According to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, an input shaft of a motor is provided with a low-resolution absolute position detector and an output shaft of the motor is provided with a low-resolution absolute position detector having a resolution greater than or equal to a reduction gear ratio. An initial offset and an offset are defined accordingly, and a high-resolution output shaft absolute position is derived from a relational expression, which is defined by an input shaft absolute position received at a predetermined time interval, a derived offset, an output shaft absolute position, and the reduction gear ratio, such that it is possible to easily detect the high-resolution output shaft absolute position by using a low-price absolute position detector without the modification or addition of an actuator.

The invention relates to an articulated robot arm (1) which comprises a plurality of trapezoidal truncated cylinders (2) disposed in succession around an internal holding member (4), each trapezoidal truncated cylinder (2) being configured to pivot about the internal holding member (4), the internal holding member (4) having angular control means for controlling the rotation of each trapezoidal truncated cylinder (2).

A robot apparatus includes: a base plate; a rotation-driving motor provided on the base plate; a transmission mechanism that is provided on a bottom surface side of the base plate and to which a rotational force of the rotation-driving motor is transmitted; and a rotation-driving mechanism that is provided on the bottom surface side of the base plate and to which the rotational force of the rotation-driving motor is input via the transmission mechanism. A workpiece is rotated by the rotation-driving mechanism at an end of the rotation-driving mechanism opposite to the base plate.

A joint device for a robot includes a first frame, a motor fixed to the first frame, a flange rotated by the motor, and a second frame fixed to the flange. The first frame has an opening extending from a part of a lateral portion to a predetermined part of a bottom portion. An outer rim portion of the flange faces to the opening in the predetermined part. The outer rim portion has through-holes. An end portion of the second frame adjacent to the first frame includes a facing portion that faces to the outer rim portion, and screw holes provided on the facing portion. The flange is fixed to the second frame such that screws inserted into the respective through-holes are fastened to the respective screw holes of the second frame.

The present invention relates to a joint assembly (1) for a robot (100), comprising a housing (26) connected with an output part (8), the housing comprising a housing wall (26A), a strain wave gearing system (90) comprising a wave generator (7), a flexspline (13), and a circular spline (36) connected to the output part (8), wherein the wave generator (7) is rotated by a rotor shaft (3), the rotor shaft being driven by an electric motor (140) comprising a stator (15) and a rotor magnet (16), the rotor magnet (16) being affixed to the rotor shaft (3), and wherein the joint assembly (1) further comprises a rotor brake (30) configured to stop/prevent relative movement between the rotor shaft (3) and the flexspline (13), and sensors arranged to measure the position of the housing (26) in relation to the output part (8). Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a robotic arm (100) comprising a joint assembly according to the present invention and to the use of the joint assembly according to the present invention.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a device for attaching/detaching an idler horn for an actuator module which can have a motor, a reduction gear and a control circuit equipped therein. The device, for attaching/detaching an idler horn, comprises: a ring-shaped elastic switch which surrounds the inner end part of a cylindrical hollow portion provided on one side of a housing that forms the outer skin of an actuator module; and a ring-shaped cover member which is for fixing the ring-shaped elastic switch, wherein the ring-shaped elastic switch can be selectively attached/detached to/from an idler horn by means of elasticity.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an actuator module which can be equipped with a motor, a reduction gear and a control circuit, the actuator module comprising: a first housing which can have an active shaft, connected to a motor, pass through and be coupled thereto; and a second housing which is coupled to the first housing and has a passive idler horn, provided in a position in correspondence with the active shaft, pass through and be coupled thereto, wherein the idler horn has interposed a tube-shaped bearing, having a hollow portion formed in the center thereof, is coupled to a side of the second housing, and can have a cable connected into the second housing through the hollow portion of the tube-shaped bearing.

Utilities (e.g., systems, apparatuses, methods) that reduce robotic assembly contention in media element storage libraries by rotating (e.g., flipping, swinging, etc.) a robot arm of a first robotic assembly mounted over a first of first and second spaced storage arrays in a storage library into a first position between the first storage array and a central reference plane disposed between and parallel to the first and second storage arrays to allow a robot arm of a second robotic assembly to slide or otherwise move past the robot arm of the first robotic assembly (e.g., in a direction along or parallel to an x-axis parallel to the first and second storage arrays), even when the robot arms of the first and second robotic assemblies are disposed at the same height (e.g., along a z-axis that is perpendicular to the x-axis) within the storage library.

According to an aspect of the invention, a motor operation control system configured to control an operation of a multi-axis mechanical apparatus including motors includes drive control units each of which is provided for one corresponding motor and a central controller configured to output an operation command to the drive control units. Each of the drive control units controls an operation of a motor based on the operation command from the central controller and transmits a response signal to another drive control unit and the central controller through asynchronous serial communication.