Zero Position Calibration for Small-Reach Robots

In the Connect to camera step, click Select camera. In the pop-up window, select and connect the camera used for robot calibration, and then click OK.

After connecting, click Acquire once or Acquire continuously to make sure that the camera can capture images normally.

Check that the images are displayed correctly in the Image viewer panel on the right. After confirming that images are captured normally, click Next in the bottom bar.

Make sure that the Calibration sphere diameter matches the actual calibration sphere so that the software calculates the sphere position using the correct size.

Securely install the calibration sphere on the robot end, and use the teach pendant to move the robot so that the sphere enters the camera’s field of view. In the 2D view, make sure that the sphere is fully within the red box so that the camera can capture the entire sphere.

Adjust the distance until it is close to the recommended distance displayed in the interface. Then capture an image and acquire the sphere position as prompted.

In the 2D image, make sure that the calibration sphere is evenly illuminated and has moderate brightness. In the depth map, make sure that the sphere is fully visible. Image quality affects position measurement and calibration results. If the image quality is poor, adjust the "calib" parameter group in Mech-Eye Viewer and capture the image again.

Select and run the master-control program to establish master-control communication between the robot and Mech-Vision. For instructions on configuring the program, refer to the Master-Control Communication section.

In the Connect robot step, set the Robot IP address and click Connect robot. Wait for the status to update and make sure that the robot is communicating with Mech-Vision.

In the Connect robot section, make sure that the status shows "Disconnect robot", and then click Next in the bottom bar.

In the Robot motion settings area, set the Robot joint motion range (°) by entering the minimum and maximum angles for J1 to J6. Then set the Robot flange motion range (mm) by entering the minimum and maximum positions along the X, Y, and Z axes. This range is used to constrain calibration path generation and robot motion.

In the Calibration point settings area, set the Number of calibration points per camera and Number of test points, and then click Generate calibration points. The tool generates points for calibration and result verification based on the settings, and evaluates the calibration point quality.

In the Calibration point evaluation area, check the Calibration point quality evaluation and the variation ranges for joints 1 to 3. If the quality is Low, follow the prompts to expand the joint or flange motion range and generate the calibration points again. If the quality is still low, adjust the position of the single camera as follows.

In the Scene viewer, check that the path is safe and that there are no obstacles within the robot’s motion range. If there is a risk of collision, adjust the robot pose or clear the obstacles to ensure that the robot can move safely.

Set the Execution speed and click Run simulated robot to check that the robot can move safely along the entire path.

After the simulation, check the Robot status. If it shows Disconnected, click Connect robot. After confirming that the site is safe, click Run the real robot at a low speed and observe the robot moving along the entire path.

Select a point to modify from the Selected point information drop-down list or the calibration point list. Then adjust the point in either of the following ways:

Select an existing path point in the calibration point list, click + on the right of the list, and then select Insert intermediate waypoint before or Insert intermediate waypoint after.

Select the intermediate point to delete in the calibration point list, click - on the right of the list, and then select Delete intermediate waypoint.

Make sure that the camera and robot are connected and that the calibration path has been checked. This prevents the acquisition from being interrupted by connection or path issues.

Make sure that the area around the robot is safe, there are no obstacles within its motion range, and the emergency stop device is available. The robot moves automatically during acquisition; keep people away from its motion range.

Set the Execution speed and Waiting time, and then click Start calibration to start automatic data acquisition.

The robot moves along the calibration path in sequence. The camera captures images at each calibration point, and the software records the robot joint positions at the same time. These data are used to calculate the calibration parameters.

Continue to monitor the robot’s movement. If there is a risk of collision, stop the operation immediately and press the emergency stop button. When acquisition is complete, check the results in the Message area to confirm the acquisition status.

Click Calculate calibration parameters. The tool calculates the robot parameters based on the acquired calibration data.

After the calculation succeeds, set the save location in Calibration result save path and click Save calibration result to save the results for subsequent verification and application.

Make sure that the results are saved, and review the calibration result evaluation and residual plots before and after calibration.

Set the Execution speed and Waiting time based on the site conditions.

Click Start verification. The robot moves to the test points to acquire verification data and calculate the errors.

Review Average error, Max error, and Calibration result evaluation to make sure that the calibration results meet the requirements.