Configuration design of modular manipulator based on gravitational potential energy

ZHAO Cong-hui1,2, ZHAO Chang-hai1*, ZHU Ming-chao1
(1.Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, China; 2.College of Materials Science and OptoElectronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

Abstract: Aiming at the problem of reducing the output accuracy of the manipulator when the deadweight was too large when it was taskoriented, a multiobjective configuration design method based on gravity potential energy was proposed. Firstly, the module library of the manipulator was introduced, including the classification of the modules in the library and the mathematical expression of the modules. Secondly, the optimization desiyn standed of configuration was explained, the rationality and feasibility of the potential energy of gravity as the optimization objective were analyzed, and the functional expression of the operability and the need to overcome the evaluation standard of gravity at the task point were introduced. Finally, combined with the constraint conditions of the manipulator, genetic algorithm was selected to optimize the configuration of the manipulator. The feasibility of the design method was proved by an example of the spray manipulator configuration design. The results indicate that the spray arm designed by this method can ensure the flexibility and have less deadweight, reduces the influence of the dead-weight of the arm on the output accuracy, and it provides a theoretical basis for the modular arm configuration design.
Key words: reconfigurable manipulator; module classification; configuration design; evaluation function; genetic algorithm