Parametric identification for industrial manipulators using experimental modal analysis

Establishing the complete dynamic model of a manipulator arm requires precise knowledge of the system mass and stiffness properties. An experimental procedure based on the modal analysis concept to identify the dynamic parameters of industrial manipulator arms is presented. The mass and stiffness content of an industrial robot are extracted from the modal behavior of the arm utilizing a general mathematical model for serial manipulators. The validity of the parameters is verified by comparison of the measured vibration behavior of the arm with the behavior of the proposed model. Some suggestions to improve the performance and operating speed of the robot by increasing the structural integrity of the system are presented