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This is a record of a document published elsewhere, first published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, as US-5293107-A, on 8 March 1994. OpenTechnical did not first disclose it. The identifier, hashes and timestamps below record what this library served and when, not when the material became public. View the original.

OT-2026-000003354

Motorized rotary joint and method of constructing a modular robot utilizing same

Published
Permanent URL
Classification
Robotics & Automation › Robot Architectures
Assignee
FANUC ROBOTICS NORTH AMERICA
Original source
US-5293107-A, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 8 March 1994
Document SHA-256
037c3e9eb005f92e3340ecc53d8c9709f21b5345149a100f3704faeb5a59b723

A motorized rotary joint for robots integrates a joint bearing with a power transmission, such as a planetary type speed reducer, and provides a large central hole for passing electric and service lines therethrough. The rotary joint includes a built-in rotor and stator arrangement within the same joint housing structure, thus allowing the electric motor to share the same bearings and housing structure with the speed reducer. Preferably, the rotor also carries planets of the reducer and the stator is either integral or coupled to a housing of the reducer. The rotary joint also accommodates an encoder, a circuit board having electronic components thereon and a built-in brake to provide a totally integrated, intelligent rotary joint. A method for constructing a modular robot using the rotary joint is also provided, wherein several such rotary joints are coupled to simple structural elements by means of bolted interfaces to construct a multi-joint robot of an articulated structure. Such a modular robot has low cost, is easy to maintain and service, and can be readily and speedily constructed and reconfigured from integrated modular components.

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Abstract

A motorized rotary joint for robots integrates a joint bearing with a power transmission, such as a planetary type speed reducer, and provides a large central hole for passing electric and service lines therethrough. The rotary joint includes a built-in rotor and stator arrangement within the same joint housing structure, thus allowing the electric motor to share the same bearings and housing structure with the speed reducer. Preferably, the rotor also carries planets of the reducer and the stator is either integral or coupled to a housing of the reducer. The rotary joint also accommodates an encoder, a circuit board having electronic components thereon and a built-in brake to provide a totally integrated, intelligent rotary joint. A method for constructing a modular robot using the rotary joint is also provided, wherein several such rotary joints are coupled to simple structural elements by means of bolted interfaces to construct a multi-joint robot of an articulated structure. Such a modular robot has low cost, is easy to maintain and service, and can be readily and speedily constructed and reconfigured from integrated modular components.

1. Drawings

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Publication information

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Citation

OpenTechnical Publication OT-2026-000003354, “Motorized rotary joint and method of constructing a modular robot utilizing same,” published September 15, 2026 at 20:15:08 UTC, https://opentechnical.org/p/OT-2026-000003354.

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This record reproduces a document published elsewhere and is provided for reference and study. Rights in the original remain with its owner. See the publication policy.