Reconfiguration of a parallel kinematic manipulator for the maximum dynamic load-carrying capacity

In determining the maximum dynamic load-carrying capacity (DLCC) of reconfigurable motor-driven parallel kinematic manipulators (PKM), the objective is to identify the optimal configuration which accomplishes the assigned motion for the maximum DLCC subject to the constraints imposed by the kinematics and dynamics of the manipulator structure. In this study, the maximum DLCC problem of a reconfigurable PKM is formulated using the structured Boltzmann-Hamel-d'Alembert formulism, and then the optimal reconfiguration is obtained using a two-level of optimization process, in which the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is for the higher-level optimization and the Simplex-type linear programming (LP) method is for the lower-level optimization, such that the reconfiguration is achieved by re-locating the base points along linear guideways. The numerical results present the effects of the base locations on the DLCC and the corresponding kinematics and dynamics along the prescribed trajectory. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.