Robotic system and housing part for such robotic system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robotic system having at least one robot arm which consists of a plurality of members/limbs, which are connected with each other by joints, in which the housing is configured to transmit the torques and forces, which are introduced into the member, onto a member being adjacent thereto, and in which the housing is composed of at least two housing parts being complementary in shape, which housing parts are connected to each other in a manner allowing the transmission of torques and forces.

Claims

1. A housing part for a housing of a member for a robot arm of a robotic system, the housing part comprising: a plurality of connecting elements for connection with at least a further housing part in a detachable manner thereby forming said housing of said member, wherein a connecting surface of said housing part is configured to contact the further housing part along a connecting surface of the further housing part, and wherein at least one of the plurality of connecting elements is configured to allow a torque-and-force-transmitting connection between said housing parts, wherein at least one of the plurality of connecting elements is configured to directly cooperate with a fixation element for the fixation of a driving unit in such a way that the fixation element is configured to be fixed and mounted in the housing in a torque-and-force-transmitting manner by at least one of the plurality of connecting elements itself.

2. The housing part of claim 1, in which the at least one of the plurality of connecting elements is formed integrally with the housing part.

3. The housing part of claim 1, in which the connecting surface for the further housing part comprises at least in sections groove elements.

4. The housing part of claim 1, in which the housing part has a shell-like structure and comprises at least one support element, which is arranged inside and in the area of one end of the housing part and which is configured to cooperate with the fixation element in an interlocking and/or load-carrying manner.

5. The housing part of claim 4, in which the support element cooperates with the fixation element in such a way that said fixation element is uniquely positioned both with respect to a radial direction and an axial direction.

6. The housing part of claim 5, in which several support elements are circumferentially arranged in sections, forming recesses therebetween.

7. The housing part of claim 5, in which the support element is integral with the housing part.

8. The housing part of claim 7, in which the support element is formed as a wall element having a trapezoidal cross-section.

9. A member of a robot arm of a robotic system, the member comprising a housing for the reception of mechanical, mechatronic and/or electronic components, the housing comprising at least two housing parts according to claim 1.

10. The member of claim 9, in which the at least two housing parts are configured to encase a fixation element in the form of a flange ring.

11. A robotic system having at least one robot arm which comprises a plurality of members according to claim 9.

Description

(1) Further advantages, features and characteristics become apparent from the following description of the embodiments as shown in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robotic system with a robot arm, which comprises a plurality of members;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an assembled housing of a member, which is utilized in connection with a robot arm;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a shell-type housing part according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 is a first perspective detailed view of the housing part;

(6) FIG. 5 is a second perspective detailed view of the housing part;

(7) FIG. 6 is a cross-section along B-B of FIG. 4;

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective detailed view of another embodiment of a housing part; and

(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective detailed view of the embodiment according to FIG. 7.

(10) As an example, in FIG. 1 a robotic system 1 according to the invention is shown, which preferably is a robotic system of the light-weight type.

(11) The robotic system 1 comprises a robot arm which is composed of several arm segments or members 10 which are connected to each other in a hinged way. Between a base 2 and an end effector 3 altogether six members 10 are connected by means of corresponding joint mechanisms, which comprise driving units, in order to enable a guidance of the end effector 3 in space by means of the transmission of rotatory and/or translational forces, in the present case under the provision of seven degrees of freedom.

(12) According to the invention the housings of the members 10 are connected by two half-shell-type housing parts 12a and 12b, which are configured in a form-complementary manner, so that these are in contact with each other by connecting surfaces 14a, 14b.

(13) The connecting surfaces 14a, 14b, which are preferably even, thereby are arranged in the area of connecting and separating lines 13, respectively, which substantially run along the axial extensions of the single members 10, as can be seen from FIG. 1, which for example shows the connecting lines 13 in dotted lines.

(14) In the assembled state, as shown in FIG. 2, both housing parts 12a and 12b form a closed tube-like housing. Depending on the configuration and the operation purpose of the robotic system the housing parts 12a and 12b may be made from different material, however, for the purpose of rigidity are preferably made from aluminum.

(15) Both housing parts 12a and 12b are connected with each other by means of a plurality of connecting elements in a detachable way, in which the connecting elements can differ depending to their functionality.

(16) FIG. 3 shows an open housing part 12b.

(17) A certain number of feather sleeves 16 are inserted into corresponding bores of the cast body of said housing part 12b, which each comprise an inner thread for the reception of connecting screws 18, which are inserted and thereby passing corresponding bores 20 in the other shell part 12a and are easily accessible for an assembly tool.

(18) In order to realize a better positioning of both housing parts 12, 12b, which housing parts shall be connected along the connecting surfaces 14a,14b, longitudinal protrusions 22 are formed in sections in the connecting surfaces 14a,14b of the housing part 12b, which in the assembled state of the housing do engage with corresponding, not shown recesses. By that the rigidity of the tube body being formed from both housing parts 12a, 12b is increased, as well as a relative movement between the housing parts during the assembly in relation to each other is prevented.

(19) According to the invention bearing/support elements 24 are provided at or on the inner surface of both housing parts 12a and 12b, which serve for the reception of a flange ring 26.

(20) The flange ring 26 in turn serves for the fixation of a not-shown driving unit, by means of which driving unit the member 10 can be moved relative to another member 12 being adjacent thereto or relative to a further component of the robotic system.

(21) The driving unit introduces rotatory and/or translational forces into the member 10, which will be then transmitted from the member 10 to the adjacent member 10. The torques and forces being generated thereby thus have to be transmitted from the driving unit into the housing of the member 10 as well.

(22) Recesses 25 are provided between radially, in sections surrounding support elements 24, by which an enhanced ventilation of the housing is enabled. Alternatively it is also possible to provide a continuous, radially surrounding support element 24.

(23) The housing part 12b as shown in FIG. 3 comprises such support elements 24 at both of its ends, in which no flange ring 26 is shown to the left of FIG. 3 for clarity reasons.

(24) According to the invention, the housing part 12b close to the connecting surfaces 14a, 14b comprises two connecting elements in the form of insert blocks 28, which face each other and which are formed integrally with the body of the housing part 12b.

(25) FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the flange ring 26 and one insert block 28 in a direction as shown in FIG. 3 by A. FIG. 5 shows a perspective inner view of the support elements 24 with the insert block 28 and both housing parts 12a, 12b, however, without the flange ring 26. In the assembled state of the housing of the member 10, as shown in FIG. 5, the insert block overlaps the connecting and separating line 13, respectively, between both housing parts 12a and 12b.

(26) In FIG. 6 a preferred embodiment according to the invention is shown in a detailed cross-section along B-B from FIG. 4.

(27) The insert block 28 comprises a through hole 30, which may comprise a corresponding inner thread (not shown), so that the insert block 28 can be passed from both sides by a fixation screw (not shown), respectively, for the purpose of connecting and fixing of both housing parts 12a and 12b, in which the fixation screw is guided by the corresponding bores 20a and 20b in the housing.

(28) According to a preferred embodiment both housing parts 12a and 12b may be connected by means of two pairs of screws only, which cooperate with the insert block 28, namely with two screws from opposite sides, respectively. Alternatively the insert block 28 may comprise a through hole 30 without having a thread so that a screw connecting both housing parts 12a and 12b is simply passing through it and which screw then engages into the inner threads of the bores 20a and 20b, respectively.

(29) In both cases a rigid fixation of both housing parts 12a and 12b is mainly realized by means of the connecting screws, which engage into the through bore 30 (with or without inner thread) and thereby push the support elements 24 against the flange ring 26 or into a surrounding radial groove 27 by pressing the housing parts 12a, 12b together. For that purpose the circumferential groove or channel 27 of the flange ring 26 comprises a trapezoidal cross-section and the support elements comprise corresponding inclined connecting surfaces, by which during assembly and fixation of the housing parts 12a and 12b a load-carrying connection is formed between the flange ring 26 and the support elements 24, which is further supported by the insert blocks 28 in a form-complementary way.

(30) In this embodiment of the invention thus a load-carrying connection between the flange ring 26 and the support elements is not realized before the housing parts 12a and 12b are fixed together by way of assembly, which connection supports the transmission of torques and forces being introduced into the member 10.

(31) The insert block 28 thereby engages into a corresponding radial recess in the flange ring 26, as shown in FIG. 4.

(32) In FIGS. 7 and 8 a second embodiment according to the invention is shown, which differs from the embodiment as shown by FIGS. 2 to 6 in that the connecting edge 14c of the housing part 12c comprises a continuous V-shaped groove 32. For that purpose a not-shown, complementary second shell-type housing part comprises a complementary V-shaped wall, which together with the groove enables a substantially stiffer connection of both shell-formed housing parts.