Optimization of energy consumption in robotic arm: design of a counter-balancing system

Abstract

For reaching a sustainable energy, the reduction of consumed energy is very important. However, almost robotics working in industry has not optimized energy. In this study, the consumed energy of robots was optimized to solve about disadvantages by adding a counterbalancing system that is a spring suspended between the rotating column and the link arm of the robot. The motion of the robot arm is a rotation of a rigid body about the fixed point described by the angle measured between the horizontal axis and the link arm. When the link arm is moved down this spring compensates a part of the weight of the robot arm and thus reduces the load on the motor actuating the second axis. The mathematical model and the consumed energy function of the robot arm with the counterbalancing system were used. The parameters of spring and the connection point between spring and link arm are to be optimized using numerical optimization methods. The real model of the robot arm with the counterbalancing system was setup of testing. The results show that total consumed energy of robot strongly depends on the undeflected length l, and connected point between spring and link arm and between spring and based arm. The optimal consumed energy by adding counterbalancing system is easily and efficiently and can be solved for all kind of robot. At the optimal solution, the consumed energy of robot can be reduced about 10% to 20% dependence on total mass of robot.