Joint module with joint torque sensor having disk-type coupling for torque error reduction

Force control and collision detection for a robot are usually conducted using a 6-axis force/torque sensor mounted at the end-effector. However, this scheme suffers from high-cost and the inability to detect collisions at the robot body. As an alternative, joint torque sensors embedded in each joint were used, which also suffered from various errors in torque measurement. To resolve this problem, a robot joint module with an improved joint torque sensor is proposed in this study. In the proposed torque sensor, a cross-roller bearing and disk-type coupling are added to prevent the moment load from adversely affecting the measurement of the joint torque under consideration. This joint design also aims to reduce the stress induced during the assembly process of the sensor. The performance of the proposed joint torque sensor was verified through various experiments.