RK3566 Robotic Arm Control Board for Multi-Axis Industrial Robots

As industrial automation continues to evolve, robotic arms are increasingly used for material handling, sorting, assembly, and vision-based picking. These applications require more than simple motor control. A robotic arm control system needs to combine multi-axis motion control, machine vision, industrial communication, HMI, and reliable system management.

In this project, KICKPI developed an RK3566-based robotic arm control board ODM solution, integrating Linux computing, vision processing, industrial interfaces, and MCU-based motion control into a more compact control architecture.

1. Project Overview

Project Type	Robotic Arm Control Board ODM
Main Processor	Rockchip RK3566
Operating System	Linux
Applications	Material Handling, Sorting, Assembly, Vision-Guided Picking
Control Architecture	RK3566 + MCU
Communication	Ethernet, CAN, RS485
Key Technologies	Machine Vision, Multi-Axis Motion Control, Trajectory Planning

The solution is designed for industrial robotic arms that require coordinated control of multiple joints while processing vision and communication tasks at the same time.

2. Customer Requirements

The customer required a control platform capable of supporting:

• Multi-axis robotic arm control
• Vision-based object positioning
• Automatic picking
• Motion and trajectory planning
• Ethernet communication
• CAN / RS485 industrial communication
• HMI display
• OTA software updates

The main challenge was integrating these functions into a unified embedded control platform while maintaining reliable real-time motor control.

3. RK3566 + MCU Control Architecture

The system uses an RK3566 + MCU architecture to separate high-level computing from real-time motion control.

RK3566 handles:

• Linux operating system
• HMI and user interface
• Camera and image processing
• Network communication
• Application logic
• Task scheduling

MCU handles:

• Motor control
• Encoder feedback
• Position control
• Speed control
• Multi-axis coordination
• Safety-related control functions

This architecture allows the RK3566 to focus on computing-intensive and system-level tasks while the MCU manages deterministic motor-control operations.

4. Key Technical Challenges

Multi-Axis Synchronization

Unlike an AGV, which primarily controls mobile movement, a robotic arm must coordinate multiple joints simultaneously.

The control system therefore needs to manage:

• PWM motor control
• Encoder feedback
• Position control
• Speed control
• CAN / RS485 communication
• Multi-axis synchronization

Accurate coordination between different joints is essential for smooth and repeatable robotic arm movement.

Real-Time Motion Control

Linux provides strong capabilities for UI, networking, vision, and application development, but real-time motor control requires a dedicated control layer.

The RK3566 + MCU architecture provides a practical way to separate these functions and improve the overall control architecture.

Vision-Based Picking

For automated picking applications, the system needs to establish a complete processing chain:

Camera → Object Recognition → Coordinate Calculation → Trajectory Planning → Robotic Arm Movement → Picking

The RK3566 platform can handle the vision and application-level processing, while the MCU executes the corresponding motion-control commands.

5. KICKPI ODM Solution

KICKPI integrates the following functions into a unified robotic control platform:

RK3566 + Linux + Camera + Ethernet + CAN + RS485 + MCU Motion Control

Instead of using separate systems for the industrial computer, vision module, motion-control card, and communication interfaces, the customized control board can consolidate these functions into a more integrated hardware platform.

This architecture can be adapted for different robotic arm configurations, interfaces, communication requirements, and application scenarios.

6. Applications

The RK3566 robotic arm control platform can be considered for applications such as:

• Industrial material handling
• Automated sorting
• Assembly automation
• Vision-guided picking
• Machine tending
• Industrial HMI systems
• Custom robotic equipment

7. Why Choose an RK3566 ODM Control Board?

For robotic equipment manufacturers, a customized embedded control board can help reduce the number of independent hardware modules and simplify system integration.

KICKPI can support customization across hardware design, interface integration, Linux/BSP development, application software, prototype testing, and mass production.

If you are developing a robotic arm or other industrial automation equipment and need a customized RK3566 control board, contact KICKPI to discuss your hardware, software, and production requirements.