Modeling and simulation of laser tracking systems

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to properly calibrate the laser tracking system (LTS) prior to using it for metrology and improving the measuring accuracy of LTS.Design/methodology/approachA kinematics model that describes not only the motion but also geometric variations of LTS is developed. Effects of tracking mirror mechanism dimension errors on measured coordinates and target reflector alignment errors on sensor reading are investigated.FindingsThrough error analysis of the proposed model, it is claimed that gimbals axis misalignments and tracking mirror center offset are the key contributors to measure errors of LTS. Intensive simulation studies are conducted to check the validity of the theoretical results and various practical issues are also explored in the simulations. The simulation results demonstrate that under realistic conditions the 10‐parameter model is the minimal and complete model.Research limitations/implicationsThis model, together with its error model which is also presented in this paper, can be used for design, calibration, and control of LTS.Originality/valueThis paper develops a kinematics model that describes not only the motion but also geometric variations of LTS, and demonstrates that gimbals axis misalignments and tracking mirror center offset is the key contributor to measuring errors of LTS.