On the Calibration of Force/Torque Sensors in Robotics
This addresses calibration challenges for robotics applications, but it appears incremental as it builds on existing calibration techniques with a focus on simplicity and equipment-free methods.
The paper tackles the problem of calibrating force/torque sensors in robotics by developing algorithms based on matrix factorization that require no special equipment, only reorientation and orientation measurement, and it demonstrates methods to determine parameters like rotation matrices and mass properties.
We present and analyze methods for the kinematic and kinetostatic calibration of, typically, wrist mounted force/torque sensors in robotics. The algorithms are based on matrix factorization and require no special equipment. The only requirement is the ability to reorient the sensor and to measure its orientation in a fixed coordinate system, such as through the forward kinematics of a robot manipulator, or using an external tracking system. We present methods to find the rotation matrix between the coordinate system of the sensor and that of the tool flange, the mass held by the force sensor at rest, the vector to the center of gravity of this mass and the gravitational acceleration vector.