A Three Degree-of-Freedom Optical Orientation Measurement Method for Spherical Actuator Applications

作者:Yan Liang; Chen I Ming; Guo Zhongwei; Lang Yan; Li Yunhua
来源:IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, 2011, 8(2): 319-326.
DOI:10.1109/TASE.2010.2089981

摘要

The advance of robotics, actuators and manufacturing technology motivates the research on measurement of multiple degree-of-freedom (DOF) rotational motions. A novel laser-based noncontact high-precision spherical displacement measurement methodology has been proposed for spherical actuator applications in this paper. The laser detector is utilized to measure the distance from the target to the detector on several light spots, and thus to calculate the rotation angle of the rigid body in three directions. As there is no physical contact between the laser detector and the moving body, additional mass/moment of inertia and friction on the rotor are avoided, and thus the working efficiency of moving body can be improved. The algorithm of orientation angles has been derived. Experimental apparatuses have been developed to evaluate the working performance of the measurement method. Comparison between experimental and analytical results shows that the proposed method can achieve high-precision measurement for multi-DOF rotational motions. Precision of the laser-based angular displacement measurement method can be improved further by increasing the slot density on the rigid body or using new models of laser detectors.
Note to Practitioners-In recent years, more and more researches on spherical actuators that can achieve 2/3-DOF rotational motions in one joint appear. Accordingly, various measurement methods for multi-DOF rotational motions have been proposed. However, there are some disadvantages for these methods such as existence of friction or extra inertia moment on the rotor, low measurement resolution and high sensitivity to external environment. To overcome these drawbacks, we have proposed a 3-DOF optical orientation measurement method in this paper. It can achieve noncontact high-precision measurements and resistance to environmental disturbances. In the future, we will implement this method into our spherical actuator developed previously by using simple laser diode in compact package. This 3-DOF orientation measurement method could also be very useful for robotics, instruments, and manufacturing technology.

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