Cincinnati Milacron Inc.

Edward J Bailey

David E Suica

Walter Binder

Michael D Braun

Mark Douglas Kohring

Roland S Sedziol

Kenneth Erwin Schubeler

Theodore H Stackhouse

William E Berry

A bearing block for anchoring a self-contained bearing for a moving part of a robotic manipulator to such robotic manipulator is provided, wherein the self-contained bearing has a known outside diameter. In particular, the bearing block comprises a body portion having attachment means for attaching the bearing block to the robotic manipulator, with such body portion being split into a base piece and a clamp piece along a dividing axis. A bearing race or bore is formed through the body portion and centered therewithin on the dividing axis. The bore is formed after the body portion has been split along the dividing axis, and has an effective diameter slightly undersized relative the outside diameter of the self-contained bearing to be held therewithin. Means are provided to removably attach the clamp piece to the base piece and to thereby provide relatively uniform inward compressive forces about substantially the entire outer periphery of the bearing when the clamp piece is attached to the base piece thereabout.

Bearing block for robotic manipulator

Industrial robot

There is provided a backlash control rotation gear assembly for robotic applications, with such assembly comprising an input device to provide rotational force of a predetermined maximum torque. The system further includes a first drive gear which is connected to the rotational input device and a second drive gear which is connected to the first drive gear by an elastic torsion spring preloaded with a predetermined spring torque force. An output driven gear is connected to a moveable robotic part to be rotated, with such driven gear being connected to the first and second drive gears, wherein the first drive gear is driven by the rotational input device and the second drive gear is driven indirectly by the input device through the preloaded elastic torsion spring. The preloaded torque force of the elastic torsion spring maintains the intermeshing teeth of the first and second drive gears and the driven gear is loaded, substantially constant contact, thereby eliminating gear backlash normally encountered in such gear systems.

Preloaded antibacklash gear assembly

There is provided a self-aligning ballscrew assembly for a manipulator device for reciprocating an extension element along a linear extension axis, with the self-aligning ballscrew assembly including a ballscrew having a longitudinal axis. A ballscrew bearing block is provided having a ballscrew nut mounted on the ballscrew for translating an extension element of the manipulator device along a linear extension axis in response to relative rotation between the ballscrew and the ballscrew nut, and a drive motor selectively provides relative rotation between the ballscrew and the ballscrew nut. A reed-spring arrangement flexibly connects the bearing block to the manipulator device, with such flexible reed-spring arrangement permitting limited linear movement of the bearing block and ballscrew nut with the ballscrew in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis, as well as limited rotational movement about an axis mutually perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the normal direction, while maintaining proper angular alignment of the ballscrew nut relative the ballscrew.

Self-alignment device for ballscrew arrangement

There is provided a rotator bearing shock and vibration dampener for the rotator bearing of a robotic manipulator, with such shock dampener including a stationary robot base and a rotary turntable, and a large rotary turntable bearing having its inner race bolted to the stationary base and its outer race bolted to the rotary turntable. An oil damp well space having a relatively thin, predetermined depth squared relative its surface area is formed in the base below the outer race and in the turntable above the inner race. A predetermined volume of damping oil is located adjacent the turntable bearing in the base and fills the oil damp well space, whereby the damping oil normally resides in the well space to provide an oil film therewithin. The well space is formed with relatively limited inlets and outlets for the damping oil such that the oil film tends to resist compression and displacement, thereby damping vibrations, mechanical shocks and jolts encountered by the robotic manipulator in use, and increasing the effective dynamic stiffness of the turntable relative to the base.

Oil film damper

Method of making bearing block for robotic manipulator

A robotic base compartment has an interior locating surface. A plurality of pins extend squarely from the locating surface. The pins are located by pre-assembly machining and the extending pin surfaces are coated with a release agent. A robotic component plate, such as a gear-carrying plate, is assembled in the base compartment, with clearance slots surrounding the locating pins. After adjustably positioning the gear elements with one another by shifting the component plate, the slots are filled, for at least a portion, with a pourable hardenable material such as epoxy which is then allowed to harden. The components may thereafter be disassembled and reassembled without the loss of precision location. The assembly method obviates the need for manual drilling and reaming of pin holes at assembly and the attendant chip contamination that results therefrom.

Method for locating a precision robotic base component

A stationary robotic base carries a movable robotic platform and supports a pair of vertical striker plates spaced apart by a central, elastomeric block. The striker plates are confined within a compartment of the stationary base, and extend upward into a pathway defined by a lug depending from the moving platform. The lug contacts the top portion of a given striker plate and, as the plate is struck, it tends to pivot about its bottom edge toward the other plate, compressing the elastomeric block, while the other plate is held from moving away from the block. The assembly is bidirectional, with each striker plate being yieldable toward the other as it is encountered by the moving lug. In the event that the moving element possesses more energy than the maximum stopping energy of the elastomeric block, the first encountered striker plate will pivot to such position that the lug will overtravel the striker plate and pass over the elastomeric block until it comes to rest against the stationary, nonpivoting striker plate.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Edward J Bailey