Actuator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11264865-B2
Application number	US-201716483226-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2017
Priority date	Feb 28, 2017
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

An actuator capable of realizing a high output with a compact size is proposed. An actuator provided with a motor including a cylindrical rotor, and a reducer including an input shaft coaxial with a rotational shaft of the motor and nested in the rotor. The reducer has a cylindrical shape, the reducer further includes an output shaft coaxial with the rotational shaft of the motor, the motor further includes a stator, and the actuator is further provided with a casing which supports the reducer and the stator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An actuator, comprising:
a motor that includes a cylindrical rotor;
a reducer that includes:
an input shaft coaxial with a rotational shaft of the motor, wherein the input shaft is nested in the cylindrical rotor;
an output shaft coaxial with the rotational shaft of the motor;
a cylindrical first outer peripheral surface nested in the cylindrical rotor; and
a cylindrical second outer peripheral surface, wherein a diameter of the cylindrical second outer peripheral surface is larger than a diameter of the cylindrical first outer peripheral surface;

a casing configured to support the cylindrical second outer peripheral surface of the reducer;
a torque sensor fixed to the output shaft, wherein the torque sensor is configured to measure torque based on rotation of the output shaft; and
a first encoder configured to measure a rotational angle of the output shaft, wherein the first encoder is between the torque sensor and the casing.

2. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the reducer has a cylindrical shape.

3. The actuator according to claim 2 , wherein
the motor further includes a stator, and
the casing is further configured to support the stator.

4. The actuator according to claim 3 , further comprising a first bearing supported by an inner peripheral surface of the reducer, wherein
the inner peripheral surface faces the cylindrical second outer peripheral surface, and
the first bearing is configured to rotatably support the output shaft.

5. The actuator according to claim 3 , wherein the reducer is a wave gear reducer.

6. The actuator according to claim 3 , wherein the output shaft includes a flex spline.

7. The actuator according to claim 6 , further comprising a second bearing supported inside the flex spline, wherein the second bearing is configured to rotatably support the rotational shaft of the motor.

8. The actuator according to claim 3 , further comprising a brake on a side opposite to the reducer with respect to the motor, wherein
the brake includes a main body and a rotating portion, and
the rotating portion is coaxial with the rotational shaft of the motor.

9. The actuator according to claim 8 , further comprising a third bearing supported by the main body, wherein the third bearing is configured to rotatably support the rotational shaft of the motor.

10. The actuator according to claim 8 , wherein the brake further includes:
a mover between the main body and the rotating portion,
an elastic member configured to apply elastic force toward the rotating portion to the mover, wherein the elastic member is fixed to the main body, and
an electromagnet configured to attract the mover toward the main body at a time of energization.

11. The actuator according to claim 8 , wherein a part of the main body is nested in the cylindrical rotor.

12. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
the cylindrical rotor includes a support that includes a plane orthogonal to a direction of extension of the cylindrical rotor,
the plane supports the rotational shaft of the motor,
the reducer is nested in the cylindrical rotor on a first side of the cylindrical rotor with the support as a boundary, and
the part of the main body is nested in the cylindrical rotor on a second side opposite to the first side with the support as the boundary.

13. The actuator according to claim 8 , further comprising a second encoder configured to measure a rotational angle of the cylindrical rotor.

14. The actuator according to claim 13 , wherein the second encoder is on the side on which the brake is located with respect to the motor.

15. The actuator according to claim 13 , wherein
the rotational shaft of the motor is a hollow tube,
the rotational shaft of the motor includes a cable configured to connect the first encoder to the second encoder, and
the cable is inside the rotational shaft of the motor.

16. The actuator according to claim 2 , wherein the torque sensor includes:
a first rotating body fixed to the output shaft,
a second rotating body,
a distortion part fixed to the first rotating body and the second rotating body, wherein the distortion part is configured to transmit rotational torque from the first rotating body to the second rotating body based on strain of the distortion part, and
a measuring unit configured to measure the rotational torque based on the strain of the distortion part.

17. The actuator according to claim 2 , wherein
the rotational shaft of the motor is a hollow tube,
the rotational shaft of the motor includes a cable configured to connect the torque sensor to an external device, and
the cable is inside the rotational shaft of the motor.

18. An actuator, comprising:
a motor that includes a cylindrical rotor and a stator;
a reducer that has a cylindrical shape, wherein the reducer includes:
an input shaft coaxial with a rotational shaft of the motor, wherein the input shaft is nested in the cylindrical rotor;
an output shaft coaxial with the rotational shaft of the motor;
a cylindrical first outer peripheral surface nested in the cylindrical rotor; and
a cylindrical second outer peripheral surface, wherein a diameter of the cylindrical second outer peripheral surface is larger than a diameter of the cylindrical first outer peripheral surface;

a casing configured to support the stator and the cylindrical second outer peripheral surface of the reducer;
a torque sensor fixed to the output shaft, wherein the torque sensor is configured to measure torque based on rotation of the output shaft; and
a first encoder configured to measure a rotational angle of the output shaft, wherein the first encoder is between the torque sensor and the casing.

19. An actuator, comprising:
a motor that includes a cylindrical rotor and a stator;
a reducer that has a cylindrical shape, wherein the reducer includes:
an input shaft coaxial with a rotational shaft of the motor, wherein the input shaft is nested in the cylindrical rotor; and
an output shaft coaxial with the rotational shaft of the motor;

a casing configured to support the stator and the reducer;
a torque sensor fixed to the output shaft, wherein the torque sensor is configured to measure torque based on rotation of the output shaft;
a first encoder configured to measure a rotational angle of the output shaft, wherein the first encoder is between the torque sensor and the casing; and
a brake on a side opposite to the reducer with respect to the motor, wherein
the brake includes a main body and a rotating portion,
the rotating portion is coaxial with the rotational shaft of the motor,
the cylindrical rotor includes a support that includes a plane orthogonal to a direction of extension of the cylindrical rotor,
the plane supports the rotational shaft of the motor,
the reducer is nested in the cylindrical rotor on a first side of the cylindrical rotor with the support as a boundary, and
a part of the main body is nested in the cylindrical rotor on a second side opposite to the first side with the support as the boundary.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Miyazawa Kiyokazu

Classifications

• H02K7/083

  radially supporting the rotary shaft at both ends of the rotor (H02K7/086, H02K7/09 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02K11/215

  Magnetic effect devices, e.g. Hall-effect or magneto-resistive elements · CPC title

• F16H49/001

  Wave gearings, e.g. harmonic drive transmissions · CPC title

• B25J13/085

  Force or torque sensors (B25J13/082, B25J13/084 take precedence) · CPC title

• B25J9/102

  Gears specially adapted therefor, e.g. reduction gears (gearings in general F16H) · CPC title