Woodward, Inc.

S.a. Robotics

Taylor Ritchie

John Karspeck

Charles Brennecke

Arthur Pintauro

Sam Johnson

Gerald Vincent Castillo, Jr

Eric D Schroder

Eric James Versluys

A bearing device for supporting a shaft to rotate relative to an outer hub includes: an annular outer race mountable within an interior bore of the hub, the outer race including an inwardly facing radial groove sized to receive a rounded bearing element; and an annular inner race mountable to an outwardly curved exterior surface of the shaft. The inner race includes an outwardly facing radial groove sized to receive the bearing element, the respective radial grooves of the inner and outer races together forming an annular raceway to retain the bearing element when the bearing device is assembled. The inner race further includes an axially convex surface along an innermost diameter of the inner race, the convex surface shaped to directly engage the exterior surface of the shaft when mounted thereto, such that the inner race remains in contact with the shaft while accommodating radial deflection of the shaft.

Radial bearing device

In one embodiment, a robotic manipulator arm includes a robotic joint, a rotational position sensor, and a control system. The rotational position sensor is coupled to the main housing of the robotic joint. The control system is connected to the rotational position sensor. During normal rotational motion toward a commanded motor position of joint output, the control system determines that normal joint un-slipped motion is occurring with respect to the joint output in response to the motor input commands. Responsive to joint slip during commanded motor motion, the control system compares position data from the rotational position sensor to commanded motor position to generate an error value and, based on the error value, compensates for the joint slip.

Robotic manipulator arm

Growing community of inventors

Fort Collins, CO, United States of America

Taylor Ritchie