Harmonic cycloidal drive (first iteration)
Project background
This project was one of my first attempts at creating a meaningful increase in output torque with the use of a harmonic drive and a stepper motor as the drive
Project Goals:
- Produce high output torque
- Smooth output
- backdrivable
- Small backlash
Design
Information
To achieve a high gear reduction while maintaining backdrivability and minimal backlash, I designed a cycloidal drive, illustrated in the GIF. In this design, the green component is the input shaft, the red component is the output, and the blue disc serves as the cycloidal gear. As the non-concentric green input rotates, it drives the blue gear in a wobbling motion against the stationary black outer pins, which in turn transmit motion to the output through the moving black pins.
The GIF shows a single cycloidal gear for clarity, but this configuration introduces an unbalanced rotating mass, which can cause vibration at higher speeds. To counter this, a second cycloidal disc is added, positioned 180° out of phase with the first. This modification provides two key benefits:
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It cancels the unbalanced mass, reducing vibration and improving dynamic stability.
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It eliminates the excessive backlash observed when the mechanism is backdriven—since the paired gears fully constrain the output in both directions.
Design
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