This application claims the benefit of Taiwan application Serial No. 110139886, filed Oct. 27, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The disclosure relates in general to a calibration system, and more particularly to a cross laser calibration device and a calibration system and a calibration method using the same for calibrating the tool center point of a robotic arm.
Examples of the tool used in a robotic arm include welding tool, grinding tool and drilling tool. When the robotic arm is operated to perform welding, grinding or drilling tasks, the coordinates of the tool center point (TCP) of the robotic arm need to be calibrated first, so that the tool can properly move on a predetermined path or trajectory.
However, the robotic arms have different manufacturers, and each manufacturer has its own calibration system and calibrator for robot. During the calibration process, when the movement of the tool is performed, the calibrator needs to perform two-way communication with its own controller of the robotic arm. Thus, the calibrator cannot be shared by the robotic arms of different manufacturers. When the robotic arm and the calibrator do not belong to the same manufacturer, conventional calibrator needs to be adjusted according to the communication protocol of the robotic arm of the other manufacturer, therefore the efficiency is poor. Furthermore, since the robotic arms of different manufacturers cannot share the same calibrator, calibration cost increases relatively.
The present disclosure is related to a cross laser calibration device and a calibration system used to calibrate the tool center point of a robotic arm.
According to one embodiment, a cross laser calibration device is provided. The cross laser calibration device includes a coordinate orifice plate, a set of cross laser sensors, and a rotational and translational movement mechanism. The coordinate orifice plate has an orifice center point. The set of cross laser sensors is arranged on the coordinate orifice plate to generate cross laser lines intersecting at the orifice center point. The rotational and translational movement mechanism is used to drive the coordinate orifice plate and the set of cross laser sensors. The rotational and translational movement mechanism includes a first motor, a uni-axis actuator, a second motor, and a connecting rod. The first motor is used to drive the uni-axis actuator to generate a translational movement in the first direction. The second motor is arranged on the uni-axis actuator to generate a rotational movement perpendicular to the first direction. The connecting rod is connected between the second motor and the coordinate orifice plate, wherein the orifice center point has an off-axis setting relative to the center point of the second motor.
According to another embodiment, a calibration system used to calibrate the tool center point of a robotic arm is provided. The calibration system includes a coordinate orifice plate, a set of cross laser sensors, a rotational and translational movement mechanism, and a processing unit. The coordinate orifice plate has an orifice center point. The set of cross laser sensors is arranged on the coordinate orifice plate to generate cross laser lines intersecting at the orifice center point. The rotational and translational movement mechanism is used to drive the coordinate orifice plate and the set of cross laser sensors. The rotational and translational movement mechanism includes a first motor, a uni-axis actuator, a second motor, and a connecting rod. The first motor is used to drive the uni-axis actuator to generate a translational movement in the first direction. The second motor is arranged on the uni-axis actuator to generate a rotational movement perpendicular to the first direction. The connecting rod is connected between the second motor and the coordinate orifice plate, wherein the orifice center point has an off-axis setting relative to the center point of the second motor. The processing unit is used to receive the initial position information of the robotic arm and two rotation angle signals of the first motor and the second motor and control the first motor and the second motor to rotate.
The above and other aspects of the disclosure will become better understood with regard to the following detailed description of the embodiment(s). The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
Technical solutions for the embodiments of the present application are clearly and thoroughly disclosed with accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments disclosed below are only some rather than all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All embodiments obtained by anyone ordinarily skilled in the art of the present application according to the disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure if the obtained embodiments are obvious.
Besides, the disclosed features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable way. In the following disclosure, many detailed descriptions are provided for the embodiments of the present application to be better and fully understood. However, anyone ordinarily skilled in the art of the disclosure will understand that technical solution for the present application can be implemented without one or more of the details disclosed below or can be implemented using other methods, devices, or steps. In some circumstances, generally known methods, devices, implementations, or operations of the technical solution capable of implementing the present disclosure are not necessarily illustrated or disclosed in greater details lest the aspects of the present application might be distracted.
Refer to
In an embodiment, the cross laser calibration device 110 includes a coordinate orifice plate 111, a set of cross laser sensors 113, and a rotational and translational movement mechanism 130. The cross laser sensors 113 are arranged on the coordinate orifice plate 111. The coordinate orifice plate 111 is arranged on the rotational and translational movement mechanism 130. The rotational and translational movement mechanism 130 can synchronously drive the coordinate orifice plate 111 and the set of cross laser sensors 113 to rotate or translate. In the present embodiment, the orifice center point Os of the coordinate orifice plate 111 and the cross laser lines 114 generated by the set of cross laser sensors 113 can form a cross laser coordinate system (Xs, Ys, Zs), and the second motor of the rotational and translational movement mechanism 130 has a coordinate system (Xm, Ym, Zm) whose origin is the center point Om of the second motor. The cross laser calibration device 110 is driven by the second motor to revolve and rotate around the center point Om of the second motor. The cross laser calibration device 110 calibrates the coordinates of the tool center point (that is, the coordinates of the terminal E) of the robotic arm 101 using an off-axis setting relationship between the cross laser coordinate system (Xs, Ys, Zs) and the coordinate system (Xm, Ym, Zm) whose origin is the center point Om of the second motor.
In some embodiments, the tool 102 refers to any objects arranged on the robotic arm 101, such as clamper, welding gun, cutter or grinder, and the tool center point refers to the terminal E on the end of the tool 102.
Refer to
Refer to
In the present embodiment, the connecting rod 139 is connected between the second motor 138 and the coordinate orifice plate 111. The second motor 138 can synchronously drive the connecting rod 139 and the coordinate orifice plate 111 to perform a rotational movement. Since the structure of the coordinate orifice plate 111, the length of the connecting rod 139, and the distance by which the orifice center point Os is deviated from the center point Om of the second motor 138 are already known at the design stage, the coordinates of the orifice center point Os of the coordinate orifice plate 111 relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 can be obtained through the conversion of coordinate systems.
Refer to
Refer to
Refer to
Firstly, in step S30, a robotic arm 101 is moved for enabling a tool 102 to be located within a sensing range of the cross laser lines 114.
In step S32, the cross laser sensors 113 are driven by a second motor 138 to rotate for one circle for the calculation of the coordinates of a first point P1 on the tool 102 relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138.
In step S34, after the uni-axis actuator 132 is driven by a first motor 131 to translate the cross laser sensors 113 upward or downward, the cross laser sensors 113 are driven by the second motor 138 to rotate for one circle for the calculation of the coordinates of a second point P2 on the tool 102 relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138.
In step S36, the coordinates of an initial tool center point To are calculated according to the coordinates of the two points (P1 and P2) on the tool 102 and the initial position information of the robotic arm 101. In step S38, after the coordinates of the initial tool center point To are set to the controller of the robotic arm 101, the robotic arm 101 is moved for enabling the initial tool center point To of the tool 102 to be located at the orifice center point Os on the cross laser lines 114, then the attitude angle of the tool 102 is calibrated, so that the tool 102 is perpendicular to the sensing plane of the cross laser sensor 113.
In step S40, the uni-axis actuator 132 is driven by the first motor 131 to translate the cross laser sensors 113 downward for moving the tool 102 from a position blocking the cross laser lines 114 to a position not blocking the cross laser lines 114, and the coordinates of the initial tool center point To are calibrated along the vertical axis according to the translated distance to obtain the final coordinates of the tool center point (that is, the final coordinates of the terminal E).
Referring to
In
Then, as indicated in
As indicated in
As indicated in
Through the above process, the processing unit 120 can obtain the first set of blocking signals and the rotation angle signals (Ø1, Ø2, Ø3, Ø4) of the second motor 138 and calculate the coordinates of the first point P1 on the tool 102 relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 according to the first set of rotation angle signals (Ø1, Ø2, Ø3, Ø4) of the second motor 138.
Referring to
O
t0=[r cos θr sin θ]T;
O
t1=[r cos(θ+Ø1)r sin(θ+Ø1)]T;
O
t2=[r cos(θ+Ø2)r sin(θ+Ø2)]T;
O
t3=[r cos(θ+Ø3)r sin(θ+Ø3)]T; and
O
t4=[r cos(θ+Ø4)r sin(θ+Ø4)]T.
Since the x coordinates of Ot1 and Ot4 relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 are the same (both are on the Xs axis), the azimuth of the first point P1 on the tool 102 (that is, initial point Ot0) relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 can be obtained, wherein angle θ1 is expressed as:
θ1=tan−1((cos Ø1−cos Ø3)/(sin Ø1−sin Ø3)) Equation [1]
Since the y coordinates of Ot2 and Ot4 relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 are the same (both are on the Ys axis), the azimuth of the first point P1 on the tool 102 (that is, initial point Ot0) relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 can be obtained, wherein angle θ2 is expressed as:
θ2=tan−1((−sin Ø2+sin Ø4)/(cos Ø2−cos Ø4)) Equation [2]
Since the azimuth of the initial point Ot0 relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 can be obtained according to equation [1] and equation [2], the final azimuth can be obtained as: θ=(θ1+θ2)/2. That is, the azimuth θ of the first point P1 on the tool 102 relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 is calculated and obtained.
Given that the x coordinates of Ot1 and Os relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 are the same (both are on the Xs axis), the y coordinates of Ot2 and Os relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 are the same (both are on the Ys axis), the x coordinates of Ot3 and Os relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 are the same (both are on the Xs axis), and the y coordinates of the Ot4 and Os relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 (both are on the Ys axis), equation [3] to equation [6] can be obtained as follows:
r
1
=d
x/cos(θ+Ø1)Equation [3],
wherein dx represents the x axis deviation of the orifice center point Os relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138;
r
2
=d
y/sin(θ+Ø2) Equation [4],
wherein dy represents the y axis deviation of the orifice center point Os relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138;
r
3
=d
x/cos(θ+Ø3) Equation [5]; and
r
4
=d
y/sin(θ+Ø4) Equation [6].
Since the distance of the initial point Ot0 relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 can be obtained according to equation [3] to equation [6], the final distance, that is, the distance r of the first point P1 on the tool 102 relative to the center point Om of the coordinate system of the second motor 138 can be obtained as: r=(r1+r2+r3+r4)/4.
Likewise, after the first motor 131 drives the uni-axis actuator 132 to translate the cross laser sensors 113 upward or downward, the position of the point by which the tool 102 intersecting the sensing plane of the cross laser sensors 113 changes (as indicated in
Referring to
Referring to
The cross laser calibration device and the calibration system using the same disclosed in above embodiments of the present disclosure are capable of calibrating the tool center point of the tool on the robotic arm of different makes. During calibration process, the processing unit does not need to perform two-way communication with the controller of the robotic arm, so that the cross laser calibration device of the present embodiment can be shared by the robotic arms of different manufactures. Furthermore, since the calibration process is the same regardless of the manufactures of the robotic arms, calibration becomes more convenient and calibration cost is reduced.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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110139886 | Oct 2021 | TW | national |