Wireless transmission device and robot arm using the same

• US 9,358,684 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merry Electronics Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Merry Electronics Company Limited
• Inventors: He, Tong-Kun, Chang, Wei-Chi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US14/624,888
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90.1, 700/250, 700/254, 700/256, 700/264
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/0045 Contactless power transmission, e.g. by magnetic induction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller

Abstract

A wireless transmission device for use in a robot arm is disclosed to include a rotating unit including a first winding and a second winding relatively rotatably arranged in a coaxial manner, and two receiver-transmitter units respectively electrically connected to the first winding and the first winding for receiving a composite signal and then generating a power signal and a control signal. Thus, the receiver-transmitter units can transmit power and data in two ways by means of an electromagnetic coupling between the first winding and the second winding, having the advantages of simple structure and no need for wiring, and allowing the robot arm using the wireless transmission device to be freely rotated through 360 degrees.

Claims

1. A wireless transmission device, comprising:

a rotating unit comprising a first winding and a second winding arranged in a coaxial manner and rotatable relatively to each other; and

two receiver-transmitter units respectively electrically connected to said first winding and said second winding, and adapted for receiving a first composite signal and for separating said first composite signal into a power signal and a control signal;

said two receiver-transmitter units establishing a communication therebetween using an electromagnetic coupling between said first winding and said second winding.

2. The wireless transmission device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rotating unit comprises a first axle sleeve and a second axle sleeve coaxially connected in series and rotatable relatively to each other, said first winding and said second winding being respectively connected to said first axle sleeve and said second axle sleeve.

3. The wireless transmission device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first winding and said second winding each comprises a magnetic core, and a spool mounted in said magnetic core for the winding of a lead wire.

4. The wireless transmission device as claimed in claim 3, wherein each said magnetic core is shaped like a rounded cap, comprising an accommodation chamber and an inner tube located in a bottom side of said accommodation chamber at the center;

each said spool is a double end flanged cylinder.

5. The wireless transmission device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the spools of said first winding and said second winding have different inner diameters;

the spool having a relatively larger inner diameter is abutted with one flange of the double end flanged cylinder thereof against an inner bottom surface, and the other spool having a relatively smaller inner diameter is directly sleeved onto the inner tube of the associating said magnetic core.

6. The wireless transmission device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said magnetic cores said first winding and said second winding are arranged in a coaxial manner with the spool of smaller inner diameter relatively accommodated in the spool of larger inner diameter.

7. The wireless transmission device as claimed in claim 6, wherein one said receiver-transmitter unit comprises a pin inserted through said first magnetic core and said second magnetic core.

8. The wireless transmission device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two receiver-transmitter units are adapted to modulate the energy and data into a second composite signal and then to transmit said second composite signal.

9. A robot arm, comprising:

a controller adapted for combining a power signal and a control signal into a composite signal and transmitting said composite signal;

two arm members coupled together and rotatable relatively to each other;

a drive unit adapted for driving said two arm members to rotate; and

a wireless transmission device as claimed in claim 1, said rotating unit of said wireless transmission device being connected between said two arm members, one said receiver-transmitter unit being electrically connected to said drive unit and adapted for providing a power signal and a control signal to said drive unit.

10. The robot arm as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a second said wireless transmission device, wherein the two said wireless transmission devices are mounted in one same said arm member, and the receiver-transmitter units of said two wireless transmission devices are electrically connected in series.

11. The robot arm as claimed in claim 9, wherein the receiver-transmitter units of said two wireless transmission devices are adapted to modulate the energy and data into a second composite signal and then to transmit said second composite signal.