Abstract
Laser tracking systems (LTSs) employ tracking laser interferometers for coordinate measuring of precision machine tools and robots. Such coordinate measuring machines, if properly calibrated, are potentially fast, very accurate and can cover a large workspace. LTS devices must be self-calibrated, using redundancy or constraint surfaces. A methodology for self-calibration of a multi-beam LTS utilizing planar constraints is formulated and demonstrated. A kinematic model of a multi-beam LTS is derived. Model error analysis demonstrates that the use of angular measurement of the gimbal joint positions, relatively inaccurate as these are, does improve the overall system calibration accuracy. Self-calibration model parameters observability of the multi-beam LTS is studied. The results reveal the applicability of planar constraints to system self-calibration. Simulation and experimentation results obtained on a prototype system are reported demonstrating the applicability of the calibration strategies.
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