Multicriteria Optimization Design for End Effector Mounting Bracket of a High Speed and Heavy Load Palletizing Robot

Abstract

End effector mounting bracket is an important load bearing part of high speed and heavy load palletizing robot, which is located at the most distant point in robot rotation radius and frequently works in complex conditions such as start-stop, switch direction, and acceleration and deceleration motion; therefore, optimizing design for its structure is beneficial to improve the dynamic performance of robotic system and reduce energy consumption. Firstly, finite element model of end effector mounting bracket was established, and its accuracy was verified by contrastive analysis of modal test result and finite element model. Secondly, through modal analysis, vibration response test, frequency response analysis, and the static analysis, taking inertia into account, the mass is minimized, the maximal stress is minimized, the maximal deformation is minimized, and the first natural frequency is maximized as the optimization objectives are determined; the design variables were selected by sensitivity analysis, taking their value range as the constraint conditions; approximation models of objective functions were established by the Box-Behnken design and the response surface methodology, and their reliability was validated; to determine weighting factor of each optimization objective, an analytic hierarchy process based on finite element analysis (FEA + AHP) method was put forward to improve the objectivity of comparison matrix; subsequently, the multicriteria optimization mathematical model was established by the methods mentioned above. Thirdly, the multicriteria optimization problem was solved by the NSGA-II algorithms and optimization results were obtained. Finally, the contrastive analysis results between optimized model and initial model showed that, in the case of the maximum stress and deformation within allowable values range, the mass reduction was 17.8%; meanwhile, the first natural frequency was increased, and vibration response characteristics of the entire structure were improved significantly. The validity of this optimization design method was verified.