A new approach to power supply for robots

Abstract

A cableless, power supply system for multiaxis robots is described. This system avoids the use of movable cables by using rotatable transformers placed in the joints of the robot. The transformer consists of two halves of a ferrite pot core containing the primary and secondary windings, respectively. The energy is transferred to the movable parts of the robot through this transformer at a frequency of 25 kHz. This frequency allows a compact transformer design. Results were obtained from an experimental set-up with a 20 kVA, 650 V insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power converter.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>