Modelling and simulation of a flywheel based energy storage system for an industrial manipulator

This paper investigates feasibility of using a flywheel based energy recovery and storage system for a robotic manipulator. The incentive is supported by ever growing necessity for efficient systems and optimisation of power consumption of industrial processes. Previous work has shown that robotic manipulators can benefit from incorporation of energy recovery and temporary energy storage system which resulted in significant reduction in power consumption. The ABB IRB 140 manipulator is used as a test bed for simulation and data collection. The manipulator internal parameters are identified and model is constructed using MATLAB/Simulink. The manipulator is programmed to executed a number of trajectories representing typical industrial tasks during which joints data is recorded and applied to the model. Simulation results show that flywheel based energy storage system is fully compatible with the manipulator controller hardware and is able to achieve reduction in power consumption.