A New Device and Procedure for Kinematic Calibration of Parallel Manipulators

Kinematic calibration is a process whereby the actual values of geometric parameters are estimated so as to minimize the error in absolute positioning. Measuring all components of Cartesian posture, particularly the orientation, can be difficult. With partial pose measurements, all parameters may not be identifiable. This paper proposes a new device that can identify all kinematic parameters with partial pose measurements. Study is performed for a six degree-of-freedom fully parallel Hexa Slide manipulator. The device, however, is general and can be used for other parallel manipulators. The proposed device consists of a link with U joints on both sides and is equipped with a rotary sensor and a biaxial inclinometer. When attached between the base and the mobile platform, the device restricts the end-effector's motion to five degree-of-freedom and can measure position of the end-effector and one of its rotations. Numerical analyses of the identification Jacobian reveal that all parameters are identifiable. Computer simulations show that the identification is robust for the errors in the initial guess and the measurement noise. Intrinsic inaccuracies of the device can significantly deteriorate the calibration results. A measurement procedure is proposed and formulations of cost functions are discussed to prevent propagation of the inaccuracies to the calibration results.