Abstract. Gear reducers are critical for speed and torque
transmissions between motors and manipulators. With the development of robotic
research, many new requirements, such as low speed and heavy load, have been
proposed for the design of gear reducers used in the joints. To meet these
challenges, here, we present the design of a new gear reducer based on a
spherical motion sub-lever drive mechanism. Our lever-based gear reducer can
transmit the speed and torque from the input shaft to the output shaft
through a fixed-axis gear train transmission, lever transmission, and
internal translational gear transmission. Compared with traditional gear
reducers, our lever-based reducer has stronger load capacities and is
suitable for low-speed and heavy-load scenarios. The design parameters of
the lever drive mechanism were optimized via finite element analysis and
a genetic algorithm, and the assembly of the lever drive mechanism was further
simplified. We found the dimensions of the lever are critical for improving
the overall performance of this reducer. In addition, the transmission
ability of this reducer was demonstrated by a physical prototype. This
reducer will find many applications in robotic joints, cranes, and mine hoists.
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