design optimization on the drive train of a light-weight.pdf

Mechatronics 21 (2011) 560–569 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Mechatronics journal homepage: /locate/mechatronics Design optimization on the drive train of a light-weight robotic arm Lelai Zhou a,⇑, Shaoping Bai a, Michael Rygaard Hansen b a Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Aalborg University, Pontoppidanstræde 103, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark b Department of Engineering, University of Agder, Grooseveien 36, 4876 Grimstad, Norway a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: A drive train optimization method for design of light-weight robots is proposed. Optimal selections of Received 15 April 2010 motors and gearboxes from a limited catalog of commercially available components are done simulta- Accepted 7 February 2011 neously for all joints of a robotic arm. Characteristics of the motor and gearbox, including gear ratio, gear Available online 2 March 2011 inertia, motor inertia, and gear efficiency, are considered in the drive train modeling. A co-simulation method is developed for dynamic simulation of the arm. A design example is included to demonstrate Keywords: the proposed design optimization method. Drive train optimization 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Discrete design variables Light-weight robot Complex method 1. Introduction