Actuator unit, robot including the same, and reducing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9647513-B2
Application number	US-201414272831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2014
Priority date	Oct 7, 2013
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

An actuator unit, a robot including the same, and a reducing apparatus, the actuator unit including a driving unit; a sensor unit; a control unit; and a frame unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An actuator unit, comprising:
a driving unit that includes:
a motor that generates a rotational force for rotating an object, a decelerator that is connected to the motor and that reduces a rotation speed according to a deceleration ratio, and
an encoder that detects rotation information of the motor, wherein the decelerator, the motor, and the encoder are vertically coupled through an input hollow shaft;
a sensor unit that includes:
a sensor frame on which a sensor is mounted, a sensor board that amplifies a signal from the sensor, and
a sensor coupling unit that blocks disturbance and noise from the driving unit, the sensor coupling unit being disposed over the driving unit;
a control unit that includes:
a motor controller that controls the motor based on the rotation information of the motor from the encoder, a power converter that converts a current signal from the motor controller into a pulse signal and applies the pulse signal to the motor, and
a power supply unit that converts external main power into power suitable for individual elements and that supplies the suitable power, the power supply unit being coupled to the input hollow shaft and under the driving unit; and
a frame unit that includes:
a motor frame that supports the motor, an encoder frame that supports the encoder, and
a connection frame that connects the driving unit to the sensor units wherein:
the control unit includes a multi-layer board that is coupled to the input hollow shaft, and
the multi-layer board includes:
a control board on which the motor controller is disposed, an amplification board on which the power converter is disposed, and
a power board on which the power supply unit is disposed.

2. The actuator unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the actuator unit has a vertically symmetric structure,
an input connector is on a bottom of the actuator unit,
an output connector is on a top of the actuator unit, and
the input connector and the output connector are connected to each other through an internal cable that extends through a hole in a central hollow shaft that is inside the input hollow shaft.

3. The actuator unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the decelerator is a harmonic decelerator.

4. The actuator unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the sensor frame includes:
a circular upper plate that has a hole into which the central hollow shaft, which is inside the input hollow shaft, is inserted,
a cylindrical side unit that extends downwardly from the circular upper plate, and
a circular visor that extends outwardly in a horizontal direction from a lower end portion of the cylindrical side unit,

the sensor coupling unit is coupled to a bottom surface of the circular upper plate,
the sensor board is coupled to a top surface of the circular upper plate, and
an external coupling unit is on the circular visor.

5. The actuator unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a torque sensor that senses torque of the driving unit.

6. The actuator unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the sensor coupling unit is between the decelerator and the sensor frame, and
the sensor coupling unit:
generates strain in a rotation direction on the sensor frame by transmitting rotational torque of the decelerator to the sensor frame, and
blocks the disturbance by blocking or reducing strain in a direction other than the rotation direction.

7. An actuator unit, comprising:
a driving unit that includes:
a motor that generates a rotational force for rotating an object,
a decelerator that is connected to the motor and that reduces a rotation speed according to a deceleration speed, and
an encoder that detects rotation information of the motor, wherein the decelerator, the motor, and the encoder are vertically coupled through an input hollow shaft;

a sensor unit that includes:
a sensor frame on which a sensor is mounted,
a sensor board that amplifies a signal from the sensor, and
a sensor coupling unit that blocks disturbance and noise from the driving unit, and is on the driving unit; and

a frame unit that includes:
a motor frame that supports the motor,
an encoder frame that supports the encoder, and
a connection frame that connects the driving unit to the sensor unit,

wherein:
the sensor coupling unit includes:
a decelerator flange that is coupled to the decelerator, and
a frame flange that is coupled to the sensor frame,

the sensor coupling unit has:
a first rigidity in a rotation direction having the input hollow shaft as a rotational axis, and
a second rigidity in vertical and horizontal directions on a horizontal plane perpendicular to the input hollow shaft,

the first rigidity is high enough to substantially transmit torque in the rotation direction from the decelerator to the sensor frame, and
the second rigidity is low enough to not substantially transmit the disturbance due to strain in the vertical and horizontal directions from the decelerator to the sensor frame.

8. The actuator unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein:
the sensor is a torque sensor that senses torque of the driving unit,
the sensor coupling unit is between the decelerator and the sensor frame, and
the sensor coupling unit:
generates strain in a rotation direction on the sensor frame by transmitting rotational torque of the decelerator to the sensor frame, and
blocks the disturbance by blocking or reducing strain in a direction other than the rotation direction.

9. The actuator unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein:
the frame flange has a circular annular shape,
the decelerator flange has a plurality of protrusions that extend inwardly from an inner side of the circular annular shaped frame flange and that are coupled to the decelerator, the protrusions having bulbous head portions on ends of narrower stem portions, and
each of the plurality of protrusions extends in a direction such that the stem forms an acute angle with respect to a tangent line of the circular annular shape of the frame flange.

10. The actuator unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein:
the frame flange has a circular annular shape,
the decelerator flange includes a plurality of protrusions that extend inwardly in a curved shape in the rotation direction from an inner side of the circular annular shaped frame flange and that are coupled to the decelerator, and
each of the plurality of protrusions is formed such that a cross-sectional area increases in a direction away from a portion that is coupled to the frame flange toward an end portion of each protrusion.

11. The actuator unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein:
the frame flange has a circular annular shape,
the decelerator flange includes a plurality of bridges that connect insides of the circular annular shaped frame flange and that are coupled to the decelerator, and
the decelerator flange is formed of an anisotropic material having rigidity in an extension direction in which the plurality of bridges extend that is higher than a rigidity in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction.

12. The actuator unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein:
the sensor frame includes:
a circular upper plate that has a hole into which a central hollow shaft that is inside the input hollow shaft is inserted,
a cylindrical side unit that extends downwardly from the circular upper plate, and
a circular visor that extends outwardly in a horizontal direction from a lower end portion of the cylindrical side unit and that partially covers tops of the driving unit and the frame unit,

the sensor coupling unit is coupled to a bottom surface of the circular upper plate,
the sensor board is couple

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jung-Jun
• Kim Byeong-Sang
• Park Kang-Min
• Hwang Jae-Chul

Classifications

• G05B2219/45031

  Manufacturing semiconductor wafers · CPC title

• H02K11/33 Primary

  Drive circuits, e.g. power electronics (H02K11/38 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02K5/225

  Terminal boxes or connection arrangements (specially adapted for submersible motors H02K5/132) · CPC title

• F16H57/01

  Monitoring wear or stress of gearing elements, e.g. for triggering maintenance · CPC title

• H02K11/24

  Devices for sensing torque, or actuated thereby (H02K11/27 takes precedence) · CPC title