Concurrent structure-control design of parallel robots using an estimation of distribution algorithm

Abstract

In this paper, a structure-control design methodology for simultaneously optimizing both mechanical structure and control of parallel robots is proposed. It takes into count the dynamical model and the mechanical parameters for the optimization process. Thus, PID control and geometric variables are optimized in a simultaneously way. Through the concurrent procedure, an optimal combination of the robot structure and control gains is obtained. An estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) is formulated and used as the search algorithm. The proposed methodology is verified through simulation experiments and applied to the design process of a parallelogram linkage system. The results obtained in experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The presented approach is generic and can be applied to other mechanisms with similar structure.