Lost motion analysis of one stage cycloid reducer considering tolerances

Abstract

Cycloid reducers have a high reduction ratio, high efficiency, high stiffness and are a compact size, compared to conventional reducer mechanisms, so that they are attractive candidates for limited space and precision applications such as industrial robots and cars. However, the integrated performance of torsional stiffness and backlash or lost motion has not been studied yet. This paper investigates the lost motion of a cycloid reducer combining FE and kinematic analyses. First, we introduce the cycloid reducer and its hysteresis curve. Next, a kinematic analysis of the cycloid reducer is performed considering tolerance. Then, an iterative FE analysis of the lost motion of the cycloid reducer is performed combining the results of the kinematic analysis. We conclude that the lost motion of the cycloid reducer depends on not only its torsional stiffness but also its tolerance.