A host–parasite structural analysis of industrial robots

Abstract

Most driving torques in serial industrial robots are used to overcome the weight of the robot. Although actuators account for a large proportion of the total mass of a robot, they have yet to become a positive factor that enables the robot to achieve gravity balance. This study presents a host–parasite structure to reconstruct the distribution of actuators and achieve gravity balance in robots. First, based on the characteristics of tree–rattan mechanisms, a method for calculating the degrees of freedom and a symbolic representation method for the distribution of branched chains are formulated for host–parasite mechanisms. Second, a configuration analysis and optimization method for host–parasite structure-based robots and a robot prototype are presented. Finally, four host–parasite mechanisms/robots (A, B, C, and D) are compared. The results are as follows. If more parasitic branched chains are added to the yz plane, the loads along axes 2 and 3 become more balanced, which significantly increases the stiffnesses of the mechanism in the y- and z-directions ( K y and K z , respectively). If the additional branched chains are closer to the site of maximum deformation, the stiffness of the mechanism in the z-direction ( K z ) increases more significantly. Of the four mechanisms, mechanism D has the best overall performance. The joint torques of mechanism D along axes 2 and 3 are lower than those of mechanism A by 99.78% and 99.18%, respectively. In addition, K x , K y , and K z of mechanism D are 100.56%, 336.19%, and 385.02% of those of mechanism A, respectively. Moreover, the first-order natural frequency of mechanism D is 135.94% of that of mechanism A. Host–parasitic structure is conducive to improving the performance of industrial robots.