On the Calibration of Force/Torque Sensors in Robotics

TL;DR

This paper introduces calibration methods for force/torque sensors in robotics that utilize matrix factorization, requiring only sensor reorientation and orientation measurement without special equipment.

Contribution

It provides novel algorithms for kinematic and kinetostatic calibration of wrist-mounted force/torque sensors using matrix factorization techniques.

Findings

Effective calibration of sensor orientation achieved

Accurate estimation of mass and center of gravity

No special calibration equipment needed

Abstract

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.