OPENTECHNICAL PUBLICATION
OT-2026-000003139

Single and dual end effector, multiple link robot arm systems having triaxial drive motors

Published: 2026-09-15T19:37:04.733185Z
Permanent URL: https://opentechnical.org/p/OT-2026-000003139
Categories: Robotics & Automation > Robot Architectures

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ABSTRACT

A robot arm system (8) includes a multiple link robot arm mechanism (10)
mounted at a shoulder axis (16) to a torso link (12) that is capable of
360-degree rotation about a torso axis (14). The robot arm mechanism couples
an upper arm (15) and a forearm (22) to a hand (30) that is capable of linear
or radial motion relative to the shoulder axis. The robot arm system minimizes
its moment of inertia by arranging first (50), second (52), and third (92)
motors triaxially about the torso axis to permit rapid movement of the hand.
The first motor is coupled through endless belts (55, 68) to rotate the
forearm about an elbow axis (24), the second motor is coupled through an
endless belt (74) to rotate the upper arm about the shoulder axis, and the
third motor rotates the torso link about the torso axis. A motor controller
(100) operates in at least three operational states. The first operational
state maintains the position of the third motor and equally counter-rotates
the first and second motors to cause linear extension or retraction of the
hand. The second operational state equally rotates the first and second motors
and maintains the position of the third motor to cause angular displacement of
the hand about the shoulder axis. The third operational state equally rotates
the first, second, and third motors so that the robot arm mechanism undergoes
angular displacement about the torso axis. Coordinating the rotations of the
first and second motors enables the robot arm mechanism to describe a compound
curvilinear travel path for the hand. The rotatable torso link together with
the robot arm motion permits simple, nonradial positioning of specimen
processing stations (350) relative to the torso axis, extended hand reach, and
corner reacharound capabilities. The consequence is a high-speed,
high-throughput robot arm system that operates in a compact work space.

1. Drawings

[0001] Sheet 1.

[0002] Sheet 2.

[0003] Sheet 3.

[0004] Sheet 4.

[0005] Sheet 5.

[0006] Sheet 6.

[0007] Sheet 7.

[0008] Sheet 8.

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OpenTechnical publication OT-2026-000003139
Published 2026-09-15T19:37:04.733185Z
https://opentechnical.org/p/OT-2026-000003139