Topology design of high-speed and heavy-duty operation robot driven by trajectory

• The topology design method driven by the trajectory is proposed. • Dual mapping between trajectory and topology is established to generate basic topologies . • Evolution topologies are generated by drive adjustment and joint displacement coordination. • Multi-level evaluation system is developed to select the dominant topologies. This paper proposes a trajectory-driven topology design method for the high-speed and heavy-duty operation robot. Firstly, a topology motion trajectory is generated based on the functional requirements of the robot and the characteristics of the stamping process, including end path and link envelopes. A dual mapping relationship is established between the motion trajectory and the topology composition. From this, basic topologies are derived. Secondly, with the performance of the mechanism as the evolution goal, different topology evolution strategies are generated by optimizing the driving joints and coordinating the joint displacements. Depending on the evolution strategies, different evolution patterns are formed. The evolution topologies are generated from the basic topologies in accordance with the evolution patterns. Finally, a multi-level topology evaluation system is established by considering the stamping scenario characteristics, structural design feasibility, and developing screening and comparison criteria. According to the evaluation system, the superior topologies are selected at different levels.