Dynamic measurement of the lost motion of precision reducers in robots and the determination of optimal measurement speed

Abstract

A precision reducer is the core component in an industrial robot and largely determines the performance of a robot. Lost motion is a key index of the performance of precision reducers and its measurement and evaluation are the basis for improving the performance of precision reducers. The dynamic measurement of the lost motion is affected by load torque and speed, but there is no uniform standard or scientific basis for measurement speed, thus leading to the deviations in measurement results. In this paper, the principle of the dynamic measurement of the lost motion of precision reducers was firstly introduced and the method of separating the geometric lost motion based on optimal measurement speed was put forward. Then, according to the Stribeck friction effect of precision reducers, the method of determining the optimal measurement speed was proposed and the calculation model of the optimal measurement speed was established. Finally, taking the RV reducer as an example, the measurement experiment was carried out. The friction torque of the RV reducer was the least and the mean value of the measured geometric lost motion was the least under the optimal measurement speed, thus verifying the proposed method.