Enhancing Industrial Robot Controller Performance: Design and Optimization of a Bidirectional Totem-Pole Active Front-End Converter for Six-Axis Robot

This paper presents an advanced totem-pole bidirectional active front end (AFE) converter design for enhancing the performance of six-axis industrial robot controllers. Addressing the limitations of conventional diode rectifier-based systems, such as large harmonic currents, large volume for brake resistor, and volatile DC-link voltage, the proposed AFE converter offers high power factor, bi-directional energy flow, and tunable DC-link voltage. A detailed analytical loss model and hardware design guidelines for the totem-pole AFE is proposed, aiming to optimize energy conversion efficiency and improve power density. An advanced control strategy ensures stability and rapid response. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed AFE converter, demonstrating its potential to significantly enhance the efficiency and flexibility of automated production lines utilizing six-axis robots.