Design and implementation of a control system for a laser-tracking measurement system

To assess and evaluate the performance of robots and machine tools dynamically, it is desirable to have a precision measuring device that performs dynamic measurement of end-effector positions of such robots and machine tools. Among possible measurement techniques, Laser Tracking Systems (LTSs) exhibit the capability of high accuracy, large workspace, high sampling rate, and automatic target-tracking, and thus are well-suited for robot calibration both kinematically and dynamically.; In this dissertation, the design and implementation of a control system for a home- made laser tracking measurement systems is addressed and calibration of a robot using the laser tracking system is demonstrated.; Design and development of a control system for a LTS is a challenging task. It involves a deep understanding of laser interferometry, controls, mechanics and optics, both in theoretical perspective and in implementation aspect. One of the most important requirements for a successful design and implementation of a control system for the LTS is proper installation and alignment of the laser and optical system, or laser transducer system. The precision of measurement using the LTS depends highly on the accuracy of the laser transducer system, as well as the accuracy of the installation and alignment of the optical system.; As a part of the conventional control system design, a dynamic system model of the LTS is required. In this study, a detailed derivation and analysis of the dynamic model of the motor gimbal system using Lagrange-Euter equations of motion is developed for both Weal and complete gimbal systems. Based on this system model, a conventional controller is designed.; Fuzzy Logic Controllers (FLC) are designed in order to suppress noise or disturbances that exist in the motor driver subsystem. By using the relevant control strategies, noise and disturbances present in the electrical control channels are shown to reduce significantly. To improve the system performance further, a spectrum analysis of the error sources and disturbances existing in the system is conducted. Major noise sources am effectively suppressed by using a two-stage fuzzy logic control strategy.; Another important issue concerning a successful application of the LTS in the calibration of a robot is the estimation of system accuracy. Hence, a detailed analysis of system accuracy of the LTS is presented in this work.; In summary, the proposed methodology towards the design and implementation of a control system for LTSs has been shown to be successful by performing experimental tracking and calibration studies at the FAU Robotics Center. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...