Selection/control concurrent optimization of BLDC motors for industrial robots

Abstract

This paper aims to concurrently select and control off-the-shelf BLDC motors of industrial robots by using a synergistic model-based approach. The BLDC motors are considered with trapezoidal back-emf, where the three-phase (a,b,c) dynamics of motors are modeled in a mechatronic powertrain model of the robot for the selection and control problem, defining it as a multi-objective dynamic optimization problem with static and dynamic constraints. Since the mechanical and electrical actuators’ parameters modify the robot’s performance, the selection process considers the actuators’ parameters, their control input, operational limits, and the mechanical output to the transmission of the robot joints. Then, three objective functions are to be minimized, the motor’s energy consumption, the tracking error, and the total weight of installed motors on the robot mechanism. The control parameterization approach via a cascade controller with PI controllers for actuators’ voltage and a PID controller for actuators’ torque is used to solve the multi-objective dynamic optimization problem. Based on simulations of the closed-loop system, a Pareto front is obtained to examine trade-offs among the objective functions before implementing any actuators in the existing robotic system. The proposed method is tested on an experimental platform to verify its effectiveness. The performance of an industrial robot with the actuators originally installed is compared with the results obtained by the synergic approach. The results of this comparison show that 10.85% of electrical power can be saved, and the trajectory tracking error improved up to 57.41% using the proposed methodology.

Experimental development of lightweight manipulators with improved design cycle time that leverages off-the-shelf robotic arm components

“…Moreover, considering the extensive experience in the development of robotic manipulator components [ 26 , 27 ], it is prudent to leverage this existing knowledge to narrow down the design space. Furthermore, researchers have also proposed schemes to optimize the selection of off-the-shelf motors, both AC Servos [ 28 ] and BLDC Motors [ 29 ], that can enhance the performance of already built manipulators. These studies analyze the dynamic behavior of the robotic system for optimizing the choice of motors using cost functions for energy consumption, trajectory tracking error, and total weight of the motors.…”