Robot arm assembly

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to robot arm assemblies, particularly, to a robot arm assembly having a wire harness clamp.

2. Description of Related Art

Industrial robots usually include jointed multi-arms, actuating motors for driving the multi-arms, a controller for controlling the actions of the actuating motors, and a wire harness for transmitting electrical power to the actuating motors or command signals between the controller and the actuating motors. The wire harness usually extends from a base of the robot, and connects the actuating motors and the controller. However, because of the relative movement of the multi-arms, the wire harness may be easily scratched or damaged when from being pulled and dragged.

Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of a robot arm assembly, the robot arm assembly includes a clamping mechanism.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the robot arm assembly of FIG. 1 , taken along the line

FIG. 3 is an exploded, isometric view of the clamping mechanism of the robot arm assembly of FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , one embodiment of a robot arm assembly 100 includes a first shaft base 10 , a second shaft base 20 rotatably connected to the first shaft base 10 , a wire harness 30 , and a clamping mechanism 40 to clamp the wire harness 30 .

Referring to FIG. 2 , the first shaft base 10 defines a first through hole 11 along a longitudinal axis 21 . The second shaft base 20 can rotate around the longitudinal axis 21 , and defines a second through hole 22 . The wire harness 30 extends through the first through hole 11 , the second through hole 22 , and then the clamping mechanism 40 .

In the illustrated embodiment, the robot arm assembly 100 is used in six-axis robots. The first shaft base 10 may be positioned on a mounting base, for example, a floor. The first shaft base 10 is substantially cup-shaped, and defines an opening (not shown) on a side-wall of the first shaft base 10 . A connecting plate 102 is positioned on the opening for sealing the opening. One end of the wire harness 30 passes through the connecting plate 102 and connects to a controller (not shown), and the other end of the wire harness 30 passes through the first through hole 11 , the second through hole 22 , and connects to a plurality of actuating motors or sensors (not shown). The wire harness 30 may be a plurality of multi-wires bounded together or received in a conduit.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the robot arm assembly 100 further includes a robot arm 50 , a cycloidal reducer 51 , a first motor 24 , and a second motor 25 . The robot arm 50 is rotatably connected to the second shaft base 20 . The cycloidal reducer 51 is positioned between the first shaft base 10 and the second shaft base 20 . The first motor 24 is positioned on the second shaft base 20 for driving the second shaft base 20 , and the second motor 25 is positioned on the second shaft base 20 for driving the robot arm 50 . The cycloidal reducer 51 may be a rotary vector reducer. The second motor 25 is adjacent to the first motor 24 , and a plurality of input shafts of the first and second motors 24 , 25 are perpendicular to each other. The cycloidal reducer 51 is coupled with the first motor 24 for achieving an appropriate rotating speed and a steady rotation of the second shaft base 20 .

The cycloidal reducer 51 defines a third through hole 512 corresponding to the second through hole 22 along the longitudinal axis 21 for allowing the wire harness 30 to extend through. A rubber sleeve 60 is positioned in the third through hole 512 to protect the wire harness 30 from being worn by the cycloidal reducer 51 .

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the clamping mechanism 40 includes a main body 41 connected to the second shaft base 20 , and a locking member 42 engaged with the main body 41 . The main body 41 forms a clamping portion 412 on one end. The clamping portion 412 can be radial deformation. The locking member 42 is threadedly-engaged with the main body 41 , and forces the clamping portion 412 to clamp the wire harness 30 . The clamping portion 412 tightly clamps the wire harness 30 via a radial deformation. Therefore, the wire harness 30 can be secured against the adverse effects of scraping and abrasions. The main body 41 further includes a flange 413 , a first threaded portion 414 , a second threaded portion 415 , and a locking ring 416 . The first threaded portion 414 connects the clamping portion 412 . The second threaded portion 415 is formed on an end of the main body 41 opposite to the clamping portion 412 . The flange 413 is formed between the first threaded portion 414 and the second threaded portion 415 .

In the illustrated embodiment, the clamping portion 412 has an outer conical surface 4121 , and defines a plurality of axial slits 4122 to form a flexible clamping claw. The locking member 42 is a nut, and includes an inner resisting surface 421 and an internally threaded portion 422 engaged with the first threaded portion 414 . When the locking member 42 is engaged with the main body 41 , the inner resisting surface 421 resists the outer conical surface 4121 to generate a radial deformation of the clamping portion 412 . The deformation of the clamping portion 412 is adjustable by adjusting a relative position of the locking member 42 and the main body 41 .

Referring to FIG. 3 again, in the illustrated embodiment, the clamping mechanism 40 may further include a connecting sheet 43 , and a rubber clamping ring 45 . The connecting sheet 43 is connected to the main body 41 . The rubber clamping ring 45 is positioned between the wire harness 30 and an inner surface of the clamping portion 412 . The locking ring 416 is engaged with the second threaded portion 415 .

In the illustrated embodiment, the connecting plate 43 is substantially U-shaped, and defines a through hole 431 corresponding to the main body 41 . The connecting plate 43 further includes two connecting portions 432 outwardly extending from two opposite edges of the connecting plate 43 . The connecting plate 43 is sleeved on the second threaded portion 415 of the main body 41 via the through hole 431 and resisting the flange 413 . The locking ring 416 is engaged with the second threaded portion 415 to fix the connecting plate 43 to the main body 41 . Each of the connecting portions 432 defines a plurality of through holes 4321 . The connecting plate 43 is fixed to the second shaft base 20 with a plurality of screws (not shown) screwed through the corresponding through holes 4321 .

It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages.