Optimal Configuration 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-loop of optimization process, in which the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is for the outer-loop optimization and the linear programming (LP) method is for the inner-loop optimization, such that the reconfiguration is achieved by re-locating the base points along linear guide ways. The numerical results present the effects of the base locations on the DLCC and the corresponding kinematics and dynamics along the prescribed trajectory.