Method and control arrangement for determining a relation between a robot coordinate system and a movable apparatus coordinate system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12036663-B2
Application number	US-201917441111-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2019
Priority date	Mar 25, 2019
Publication date	Jul 16, 2024
Grant date	Jul 16, 2024

Abstract

A method and a control arrangement for determining a relation R↔MA between a robot coordinate system of a robot and an MA coordinate system of a moveable apparatus, the movable apparatus including a sensor device and a localization mechanism configured to localize a sensor coordinate system of the sensor device in the MA coordinate system, wherein a marker is arranged in a fixed relation with a reference location on the robot. The method includes positioning the marker in a plurality of different poses in relation to the robot coordinate system. For each pose of the plurality of different poses, the method includes: determining, on the basis of sensor information, a relation C↔M between the sensor coordinate system and a marker coordinate system; determining a relation MA↔C between the MA coordinate system and the sensor coordinate system; determining a relation R↔E between the robot coordinate system and a reference location coordinate system. The method also includes determining the relation R↔MA using the relation C↔M, the relation MA↔C, and the relation R↔E, in the plurality of different poses.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining a relation R↔MA between a robot coordinate system (R) of a robot and a moveable apparatus coordinate system (MA) of a moveable apparatus, the movable apparatus comprising a sensor device and a localization mechanism configured to localize a sensor coordinate system (C) of the sensor device in the moveable apparatus coordinate system (MA), wherein a marker is arranged in a fixed relation with a reference location on the robot, the method comprising:
positioning the marker in a plurality of different poses in relation to the robot coordinate system (R), and for each pose of the plurality of different poses:
determining, on the basis of sensor information, a relation C↔M between the sensor coordinate system (C) and a marker coordinate system (M);
determining a relation MA↔C between the moveable apparatus coordinate system (MA) and the sensor coordinate system (C) using the localization mechanism;
determining a relation R↔E between the robot coordinate system (R) and a reference location coordinate system (E) of the reference location;

determining the relation R↔MA using the relation C↔M, the relation MA↔C, and the relation R↔E, in the plurality of different poses.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said determining the relation R↔MA comprises obtaining a relation MA↔M between the moveable apparatus coordinate system (MA) and the marker coordinate system (M), by using the relation MA↔C and the relation C↔M.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a relation E↔M between the reference location coordinate system (E) and the marker coordinate system (M) is unknown at the beginning of the method.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the marker coordinate system (M) is immobile in relation to the reference location coordinate system (E).

5. The method according to claim 1 , comprising automatically performing the steps of the method.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the moveable apparatus is a moveable augmented reality, AR, apparatus.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor device is a camera sensor device, and wherein the method comprises, for each pose of the plurality of different poses:
capturing an image of the marker, wherein the sensor information includes image information from the captured image.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the movable apparatus comprises a display, and wherein the method includes using the determined relation R↔MA for projecting augmented information related to the robot on the display.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different poses comprises at least three different poses with a movement in between the poses, wherein each movement's rotation axis is non-parallel to the previous one(s).

10. A control arrangement for determining a relation R↔MA between a robot coordinate system (R) of a robot and a moveable apparatus coordinate system (MA) of a moveable apparatus, the movable apparatus includes a sensor device and a localization mechanism configured to localize a sensor coordinate system (C) of the sensor device in the moveable apparatus coordinate system (MA), wherein a marker is arranged in a fixed relation with a reference location on the robot, and the control arrangement is configured to:
control the robot to position the marker in a plurality of different poses in relation to the robot coordinate system (R), and for each pose of the plurality of different poses:
determine, on the basis of sensor information received from the sensor device, a relation C↔M between the sensor coordinate system (C) and a marker coordinate system (M);
determine a relation MA↔C between the moveable apparatus coordinate system (MA) and the sensor coordinate system (C) received from the localization mechanism;
determine a relation R↔E between the robot coordinate system (R) and a reference location coordinate system (E) of the reference location;

determine the relation R↔MA using the relation C↔M, the relation MA↔C, and the relation R↔E, in the plurality of different poses.

11. A movable apparatus comprising:
the control arrangement according to claim 10 ; and
the sensor device and the localization mechanism configured to localize the sensor coordinate system (C) of the sensor device in the movable apparatus coordinate system (MA).

12. The movable apparatus according to claim 11 , configured to obtain the relation R↔E from a robot controller of the robot.

13. A system comprising:
a robot including a marker, which is arranged in a fixed relation with a reference location on the robot;
a movable apparatus including a sensor device and a localization mechanism configured to localize a sensor coordinate system (C) of the sensor device in a moveable apparatus coordinate system (MA) of the moveable apparatus, and
a control arrangement for determining a relation R↔MA between a robot coordinate system (R) of the robot and the moveable apparatus coordinate system (MA) of the moveable apparatus, the control arrangement being configured to:
control the robot to position the marker in a plurality of different poses in relation to the robot coordinate system (R), and for each pose of the plurality of different poses:
determine, on the basis of sensor information received from the sensor device, a relation C↔M between the sensor coordinate system (C) and a marker coordinate system (M);
determine a relation MA↔C between the moveable apparatus coordinate system (MA) and the sensor coordinate system (C) receive from the localization mechanism;
determine a relation R↔E between the robot coordinate system (R) and a reference location coordinate system (E) of the reference location;

determine the relation R↔MA using the relation C↔M, the relation MA↔C, and the relation R↔E, in the plurality of different poses.

14. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a relation E↔M between the reference location coordinate system (E) and the marker coordinate system (M) is unknown at the beginning of the method.

15. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the marker coordinate system (M) is immobile in relation to the reference location coordinate system (E).

16. The method according to claim 2 , comprising automatically performing the steps of the method.

17. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the moveable apparatus is a moveable augmented reality, AR, apparatus.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the robot and the movable apparatus are calibrated together based on the relation R↔MA.

Assignees

• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Stenbacka Michael
• Fernandez Miguel

Classifications

• G06T2207/30204

  Marker · CPC title

• B25J9/1697

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• B25J9/1692 Primary

  Calibration of manipulator · CPC title

• G06T7/73

  using feature-based methods · CPC title

• G06T2207/30244

  Camera pose · CPC title