The Manipulator Path Planning of Bolt Disassembly Based on Improved Genetic Algorithm and A* Algorithm

The manipulator is widely applied in bolt disassembly in the field of remanufacturing. The intelligent manipulator with the ability of generating suitable operating path is increasingly required. To improve the path planning ability of manipulator in bolt disassembly, a strategy of dual path planning using a hybrid algorithm which combines an improved genetic algorithm (GA) and A* algorithm is proposed in this paper. The model of bolt disassembly sequence and algorithm are first established to find out the shortest disassembly path. The improvement of selecting and crossing operators are designed to enhance the stability and efficiency of basic GA. Both basic GA and improved GA are used and compared in the simulation of path planning with MATLAB. Then, the A* algorithm is adopted to accomplish the obstacle avoidance based on the path obtained with improved GA. Last, the experiment focusing on the bolt disassembly of a specific reduction gearbox is performed, and the correctness and feasibility of the hybrid algorithm are verified in the simulation and experiment.