TM Calibration Program
This topic introduces the process of automatic hand-eye calibration when a TM robot communicates with Mech-Mind Vision System through Standard Interface.
| Before performing the following operations, please make sure that: |
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You have set up Standard Interface communication with the robot.
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The robot is in the Manual mode, i.e., the green Manual light is on. If the robot is in the Auto mode, please press and hold the
M/Abutton on the Robot Stick to switch to the Manual mode.
Preparation before Calibration
Make preparation before calibration according to the camera mounting method.
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If the camera is mounted in the Eye to Hand method, see Preparation before Calibration in Automatic Calibration in the Eye-to-Hand Setup.
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If the camera is mounted in the Eye in Hand method, see Preparation before Calibration in Automatic Calibration in the Eye-in-Hand Setup.
Pre-calibration Configuration
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Open Mech-Vision, and click the Camera Calibration button in the toolbar. The Configuration before Calibration window will be prompted.
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Confirm that the checks are performed, click I’ve finished all checks, and then click Next.
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In the Select how to calibrate window, select the New calibration radio button, and then click the Next button.
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In the Select calibration task window, select Hand-eye calibration for listed robot from the drop-down list box, click the Select robot model button to select the robot model used by the project, and then click the Next button.
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In the Select camera setup window, select the camera mounting method in this project, and then click the Next button.
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In the Calibration method and robot control window, select Automatic and Standard Interface, and then click the Calibrate button to go to the Calibration window.
Calibration Procedure
Conduct calibration according to the camera mounting method.
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If the camera is mounted in the Eye to Hand method, see Calibration Procedure in Automatic Calibration in the Eye-to-Hand Setup.
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If the camera is mounted in the Eye in Hand method, see Calibration Procedure in Automatic Calibration in the Eye-in-Hand Setup.
Precautions
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When you proceed to the third calibration step (connecting the robot) and you click Start interface service button in the Connect the robot window, the button will change to Waiting for the robot to connect.... If the interface service is already started, you do not need to perform this operation.
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When the button displays Waiting for the robot to connect..., perform the following steps on the robot side. Then, continue the calibration in the software.
1. Load the Calibration Program
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Click
and select Project to open the window as shown below.
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Click
, and select mm_calibaration in the pop-up window, and then click OK.
2. Set the Start Point for Calibration
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Click Point Manager.
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Click
in the pop-up window.
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Click Controller.
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Adjust the robot pose in the Joint or Tool tab, and click Move when finished.
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This point is the first point where the camera captures the image for hand-eye calibration. Please make sure that the calibration board is at the center of the camera’s field of view. |
3. Configure the IP Address of the IPC
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Click the
icon in the upper left corner of the mm_v01_init1 node.
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Click the icons one by one as shown in the following image.
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Enter the IP address of the IPC in the Add Device window and click OK.
4. Run Calibration Program
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In the Manual mode (the green Manual light is on), press the
Runbutton on the Robot Stick to run the calibration program.
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When, in the Configuration window in Mech-Vision, the current status changes to connected and the button Waiting for the robot to connect changes to Disconnect robot, click Next. Next, proceed to the fourth step of the calibration process (i.e. setting the movement path).
| If the robot does not reach the next calibration point within 60 seconds, Mech-Vision will report a timeout error and stop the calibration process. In such cases, please select and run the calibration program on the teach pendant again, and restart the calibration process in Mech-Vision. |
Change the Extrinsic Parameter File
If the camera’s extrinsic parameter file has been used by a Mech-Vision project, you need to change the extrinsic parameter file used by the Mech-Vision project to a new one after you finish the hand-eye calibration.
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Select the Capture Images from Camera Step.
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In the Step Parameters panel, click
of the Calibration Parameter Group parameter, and select the newly calibrated extrinsic parameter file.
Calibration-Related Status Codes
During automatic calibration via Standard Interface communication, the vision system returns data together with the status code to the robot. Status codes, which are categorized into error codes and normal status codes, indicate the command execution status. Calibration related status codes are listed in the tables below.