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Energy-Cautious Designation of Kinematic Parameters for a Sustainable Parallel-Serial Heavy-Duty Manipulator Driven by Electromechanical Linear Actuator

Alvaro Paz, Mohammad Bahari, Jouni Mattila

TL;DR

The paper addresses how to sustainably replace hydraulic actuators with electromechanical linear actuators (EMLAs) in heavy-duty, parallel-serial manipulators by framing an energy-centric optimization problem. It develops a PMSM-based EMLA model with efficiency mapping, and a high-fidelity full manipulator dynamics model, then optimizes kinematic parameters via a BSpline-collocation formulation to minimize energy expenditure while maintaining TCP tracking. The approach is demonstrated on a HIAB 7-DoF system, showing that optimized link lengths can reduce overall energy use and enable feasible electrification without compromising performance. This work advances sustainable industrial automation by providing a rigorous pipeline to adapt existing OHMs to electric actuation, potentially extending BEV range and reducing environmental impact. The framework lays groundwork for further control, modeling refinements, and full-space analysis of the manipulated workspace.

Abstract

Electrification, a key strategy in combating climate change, is transforming industries, and off-highway machines (OHM) will be next to transition from combustion engines and hydraulic actuation to sustainable fully electrified machines. Electromechanical linear actuators (EMLAs) offer superior efficiency, safety, and reduced maintenance, and they unlock vast potential for high-performance autonomous operations. However, a key challenge lies in optimizing the kinematic parameters of OHMs' on-board manipulators for EMLA integration to exploit the full capabilities of actuation systems and maximize their performance. This work addresses this challenge by delving into the structural optimization of a prevalent closed kinematic chain configuration commonly employed in OHM manipulators. Our approach aims to retain the manipulator's existing capabilities while reducing its energy expenditure, paving the way for a greener future in industrial automation, one in which sustainable and high-performing robotized OHMs can evolve. The feasibility of our methodology is validated through simulation results obtained on a commercially available parallel-serial heavy-duty manipulator mounted on a battery electric vehicle. The results demonstrate the efficacy of our approach in modifying kinematic parameters to facilitate the replacement of conventional hydraulic actuators with EMLAs, all while minimizing the overall energy consumption of the system.

Energy-Cautious Designation of Kinematic Parameters for a Sustainable Parallel-Serial Heavy-Duty Manipulator Driven by Electromechanical Linear Actuator

TL;DR

The paper addresses how to sustainably replace hydraulic actuators with electromechanical linear actuators (EMLAs) in heavy-duty, parallel-serial manipulators by framing an energy-centric optimization problem. It develops a PMSM-based EMLA model with efficiency mapping, and a high-fidelity full manipulator dynamics model, then optimizes kinematic parameters via a BSpline-collocation formulation to minimize energy expenditure while maintaining TCP tracking. The approach is demonstrated on a HIAB 7-DoF system, showing that optimized link lengths can reduce overall energy use and enable feasible electrification without compromising performance. This work advances sustainable industrial automation by providing a rigorous pipeline to adapt existing OHMs to electric actuation, potentially extending BEV range and reducing environmental impact. The framework lays groundwork for further control, modeling refinements, and full-space analysis of the manipulated workspace.

Abstract

Electrification, a key strategy in combating climate change, is transforming industries, and off-highway machines (OHM) will be next to transition from combustion engines and hydraulic actuation to sustainable fully electrified machines. Electromechanical linear actuators (EMLAs) offer superior efficiency, safety, and reduced maintenance, and they unlock vast potential for high-performance autonomous operations. However, a key challenge lies in optimizing the kinematic parameters of OHMs' on-board manipulators for EMLA integration to exploit the full capabilities of actuation systems and maximize their performance. This work addresses this challenge by delving into the structural optimization of a prevalent closed kinematic chain configuration commonly employed in OHM manipulators. Our approach aims to retain the manipulator's existing capabilities while reducing its energy expenditure, paving the way for a greener future in industrial automation, one in which sustainable and high-performing robotized OHMs can evolve. The feasibility of our methodology is validated through simulation results obtained on a commercially available parallel-serial heavy-duty manipulator mounted on a battery electric vehicle. The results demonstrate the efficacy of our approach in modifying kinematic parameters to facilitate the replacement of conventional hydraulic actuators with EMLAs, all while minimizing the overall energy consumption of the system.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 8 sections, 23 equations, 11 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background and Context
  3. Paper Contributions
  4. EMLA Mathematical Model
  5. Structure of Parallel Mechanism
  6. Kinematic Parameters Optimization Problem
  7. Numerical Simulations and Results
  8. Conclusions

Figures (11)

  • Figure 1: The composition of an EMLA and an HLA.
  • Figure 2: Procedural flowchart illustrating the methodology for energy-cautious manipulator kinematic parameter optimization.
  • Figure 3: The structure of an EMLA.
  • Figure 4: Equivalent model of a PMSM in the d-q reference frame
  • Figure 5: Efficiency of EMLAs as the function of force and linear velocity at load side
  • ...and 6 more figures