Calibration Considering the Direction of Rotation for Contact Type Three-Dimensional Position-Measuring Instruments
Hirofumi Maeda
Hirofumi Maeda, Department of Information Science and Technology, National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Yuge College, Ehime Prefecture, Japan.
Manuscript received on 13 July 2023 | Revised Manuscript received on 18 July 2023 | Manuscript Accepted on 15 September 2023 | Manuscript published on 30 September 2023 | PP: 10-19 | Volume-12 Issue-3, September 2023 | Retrieval Number: 100.1/ijrte.C78670912323 | DOI: 10.35940/ijrte.C7867.0912323
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: In Japan, the aging of sewage facilities due to longterm use has become a significant social issue. As a result, there has been a growing interest in portable and easy-to-operate standalone pipe inspection robots in recent years. However, the pipes being inspected not only have level differences due to joint connections but also pose a high risk of toppling over due to deterioration, collapses, and sludge caused by external disturbances. Many standalone robots address this issue by adjusting the tire shape and axle placement to suppress tipping. However, this method is intended for suppression, rather than complete prevention. Therefore, we are exploring a software-based approach to prevent tipping by controlling robot movement and aiming to achieve advanced self-position estimation. We are currently verifying this self-position estimation. However, due to the curved nature of the pipes, it is difficult to accurately measure the robot’s position and orientation using conventional measurement instruments. Thus, we have developed a specialised three-dimensional position measurement instrument for use with pipe inspection robots. Furthermore, although we performed calibration in the translational direction of the instrument, improvements in accuracy were observed in the translational direction; however, accuracy in the rotational direction deteriorated. In this paper, we propose a method to simultaneously calibrate the translational and rotational accuracy of the instrument to address this issue. We discuss the mechanism model, calibration parameters, elimination of redundant parameters by introducing redundancy, and parameter estimation using the Newton method. Additionally, through comparative validation utilising the instrument, we confirm that the position accuracy after calibration is within the range of approximately ±1.0 mm, and the orientation accuracy is within the range of roughly ±0.3 degrees. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Keywords: Measuring Instrument, Calibration, Contact Type, Exploration Robot, Water Pipe
Scope of the Article: Robotics