Robot Arm Visual Positioning Without Manual Calibration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Manual calibration of robot systems is time-intensive and requires skilled labor, making it inefficient for precise positioning of robot arms in multi-degree of freedom environments, especially when the camera's position relative to the robot arm is not accurately defined.
Innovation Solution
A method for visually controlling a robot arm that involves placing a camera to capture the target point, determining a vector connecting the reference point to the target, moving the robot in standard displacements, and decomposing the vector into weighting factors to achieve precise positioning without manual calibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual calibration is performed to enable precise positioning of the robot arm, then positioning precision is improved, but time consumption and labor requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-calibration by automatically determining the relationship between camera coordinates and robot arm coordinates through a series of automated movements and image captures. The controller autonomously executes calibration procedures without requiring manual intervention, thereby eliminating the need for skilled labor while maintaining positioning precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration process is performed automatically as a preliminary step before normal operation. The system pre-determines the transformation parameters between camera and robot coordinate systems through automated procedures, enabling subsequent precise positioning without time-consuming manual calibration during operation.
2Measurement precision
If manual calibration is performed to define camera position relative to robot arm, then control accuracy is improved, but operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The manual mechanical calibration process is replaced with an automated optical-mechanical system. The controller uses image data from the camera to automatically calculate robot arm positions and movements, substituting manual mechanical adjustment with automated computational control based on visual feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated feedback-based calibration where the camera continuously monitors the reference point position, and the controller adjusts robot arm movements based on this visual feedback. This closed-loop approach ensures high control accuracy while maintaining operational efficiency through automation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the robot arm is moved in multiple degrees of freedom to reach target points, then positioning flexibility is improved, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera serves as an intermediary coordinate system that simplifies control. Instead of directly controlling the complex multi-degree-of-freedom robot arm, the system first determines target positions in the simpler camera coordinate system, then automatically transforms these to robot arm coordinates, reducing control complexity while maintaining positioning flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a new dimensional framework by using camera image coordinates as an intermediate reference frame. This adds a two-dimensional image plane dimension to the control process, allowing simpler 2D target specification that is then automatically transformed into the robot's 3D multi-degree-of-freedom space.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for visually controlling a robot arm which is displaceable in a plurality of degrees of freedom, the robot arm carrying at least one displaceable reference point, includes the steps of: a) placing at least one camera so that a target point where the reference point is to be placed is contained in an image output by the at least one camera; b) displacing the robot arm so that the reference point is within the image; c) determining a vector which, in the image, connects the reference point to the target point; d) choosing one of the plurality of degrees of freedom, moving the robot arm by a predetermined standard distance in the one degree of freedom, and recording a standard displacement of the reference point within the image resulting from the movement of the robot arm; e) repeating step d) at least until the vector can be decomposed.