An Innovative Error Measuring Method for Modular Interfaces of Modular Reconfigurable Robots

To improve the accuracy of modular reconfigurable robots by kinematic parameter calibration, currently, the studies mostly adopt calibrating and compensating methods of common robot arm to modular reconfigurable robots. This kind of methods need external measuring equipments to carry out sophisticated operations and cannot realize the original research intention of high precision operations after the rapid reconfiguration of a modular robot. By analyzing the geometric size errors of module body and the assembly errors between modules, this paper proposes a calibration method for modular reconfigurable robots based on parameters measurement, which is replacing the machining and assembly precision with measured ones. For this, a pair of module interfaces is designed. The position and angle errors can be recognized in the assembly interfaces of module by using the relative geometric position between the range sensors of configuration and the pairing interfaces, and the sensor reading. The method achieves an active decoupling for assembly errors between modules. It establishes the foundation for the rapid compensation of the modular robot after reconfiguration.