In modern robotics technology, especially in the field of industrial robots, the five key technologies include servo motors, reducers, motion joints, controllers, and actuators. These core technologies jointly construct the dynamic system and control system of the robot, ensuring that the robot can achieve precise, fast, and flexible motion control and task execution. The following will provide an in-depth analysis of these five key technologies:
1. Servo motor
Servo motors are the "heart" of robot power systems, responsible for converting electrical energy into mechanical energy and driving the movement of various joints of the robot. The core advantage of servo motors lies in their high-precision position, speed, and torque control capabilities.
Working principle: Servo motors typically use permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) or alternating current servo motors (AC Servo) to precisely control the position and speed of the motor rotor by changing the phase of the input current. The built-in encoder provides real-time feedback signals, forming a closed-loop control system to achieve high dynamic response and precise control.
Characteristics: Servo motors have the characteristics of wide speed range, high efficiency, low inertia, etc. They can complete acceleration, deceleration, and positioning actions in a very short time, which is crucial for robot applications that require frequent start stop and precise positioning.
Intelligent control: Modern servo motors also integrate advanced algorithms such as PID control, adaptive control, etc., which can automatically adjust parameters according to load changes to maintain stable performance.
2. Reducer
Function: The reducer is connected between the servo motor and the robot joint, and its main function is to reduce the high-speed rotation output of the motor, increase the torque, and meet the requirements of high torque and low speed of the robot joint.
Type: Commonly used reducers include harmonic reducers and RV reducers. Among them, RV reducers are particularly suitable for multi axis joint structures in industrial robots due to their high rigidity, high precision, and large transmission ratio.
Technical points: The manufacturing accuracy of the reducer directly affects the repetitive positioning accuracy and operational stability of the robot. The internal gear mesh clearance of high-end reducers is extremely small, and they need to have good wear resistance and long service life.
4. Controller
Core function: The controller is the brain of the robot, which receives instructions and controls the motion status of each joint based on preset programs or real-time calculation results.
Technical architecture: Based on embedded systems, the controller integrates hardware circuits, digital signal processors, microcontrollers, and various interfaces to achieve complex functions such as motion planning, trajectory generation, and sensor data fusion.
Advanced control algorithms: Modern robot controllers commonly adopt advanced control theories such as Model Predictive Control (MPC), Sliding Mode Variable Structure Control (SMC), Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC), and Adaptive Control to address control challenges in complex task requirements and uncertain environments.
5. Executor
Definition and Function: An actuator is a device that converts electrical signals emitted by a controller into actual physical actions. It typically refers to a complete driving unit composed of servo motors, reducers, and related mechanical components.
Force control and position control: The actuator not only needs to achieve precise position control, but also needs to implement torque or tactile feedback control for some precision assembly or medical rehabilitation robots, that is, force control mode, to ensure force sensitivity and safety during the operation process.
Redundancy and Collaboration: In multi joint robots, various actuators need to coordinate their work, and advanced control strategies are used to handle the coupling effects between joints, achieving flexible motion and path optimization of the robot in space.
6. Sensor technology
Although not explicitly mentioned in the five key technologies, sensor technology is an important component for robots to achieve perception and intelligent decision-making. For high-precision and intelligent modern robots, integrating multiple sensors (such as position sensors, torque sensors, vision sensors, etc.) to obtain environmental and self state information is crucial.
Position and velocity sensors: The encoder is installed on the servo motor to provide real-time position and velocity feedback, forming a closed-loop control system; In addition, joint angle sensors can accurately measure the actual rotation angle of each moving joint.
Force and torque sensors: embedded in the end effector of actuators or robots, used to sense contact force and torque, enabling robots to have smooth operation capabilities and safe interaction characteristics.
Visual and environmental perception sensors: including cameras, LiDAR, depth cameras, etc., used for scene 3D reconstruction, target recognition and tracking, obstacle avoidance navigation and other functions, enabling robots to adapt to dynamic environments and make corresponding decisions.
7. Communication and Network Technology
Efficient communication technology and network architecture are equally crucial in multi robot systems and remote control scenarios
Internal communication: High speed data exchange between controllers and between controllers and sensors requires stable bus technology, such as CANopen, EtherCAT, and other real-time industrial Ethernet protocols.
External communication: Through wireless communication technologies such as Wi Fi, 5G, Bluetooth, etc., robots can interact with other devices and cloud servers to achieve remote monitoring, program updates, big data analysis, and other functions.
8. Energy and Power Management
Power system: Select a power supply suitable for the characteristics of the robot's workload, and design a reasonable power management system to ensure long-term stable operation and meet sudden high-power demands.
Energy recovery and energy-saving technology: Some advanced robot systems have begun to adopt energy recovery technology, which converts mechanical energy into electrical energy storage during deceleration to improve overall energy efficiency.
9. Software and Algorithm Level
Motion planning and control algorithms: From trajectory generation and path optimization to collision detection and obstacle avoidance strategies, advanced algorithms support the efficient and precise motion of robots.
Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Learning: By utilizing technologies such as machine learning and deep learning, robots can continuously train and iterate to improve their task completion abilities, enabling more complex decision-making logic and autonomous behavior.
10. Human computer interaction technology
In many application scenarios, especially in the fields of service robots and collaborative robots, humanized human-computer interaction technology is crucial:
Speech recognition and synthesis: By integrating natural language processing (NLP) technology, robots are able to understand human voice commands and provide feedback in clear and natural speech.
Tactile interaction: Design robots with tactile feedback mechanisms that can simulate realistic tactile sensations, enhancing user experience and safety during operation or interaction.
Gesture recognition: Utilizing computer vision technology to capture and analyze human gestures, enabling robots to respond to non-contact gesture commands and achieve intuitive operational control.
Facial expression and emotion calculation: Social robots have facial expression systems and emotion recognition capabilities that can express emotions, thereby better adapting to people's emotional needs and improving communication effectiveness
Post time: Sep-05-2024
