Automatic calibration for camera-robot system with tool offsets

1. A method for automatically calibrating a camera-robot system having tool offsets, comprising:

creating an array having a plurality of measuring points for collecting observations in a robot workspace and a predetermined region of a camera;

positioning a calibration target at a defined location;

moving, by a robot, the calibration target from the defined location to a first measuring point, the first measuring point corresponding to first robot coordinates of a default tool center point in a robot base coordinate system;

capturing, by a camera, an image of the calibration target and identifying a location of the calibration target at the first measuring point, the location at the first measuring point corresponding to first camera coordinates;

saving the first robot coordinates and the first camera coordinates of the calibration target in a memory;

moving, by the robot, the calibration target from the first measuring point to the second measuring point, the second measuring point corresponding to second robot coordinates of the default tool center point in the robot base coordinate system;

capturing, by the camera, an image of the calibration target and identifying a location of the calibration target at the second measuring point, the location at the second measuring point corresponding to second camera coordinates;

saving the second robot coordinates and the second camera coordinates of the calibration target in the memory;

repeating moving, by the robot, the calibration target to each of the remaining measuring points of the plurality of measuring points, capturing the image of the calibration target at each remaining measuring point and identifying a location of the calibration target corresponding to each remaining measuring point, and saving corresponding robot coordinates and camera coordinates in the memory;

calculating camera-robot calibration values and the tool offsets according to the following equation:

Poly( Cx,Cy )=[ Rx;Ry ]+Rot( Ru )*[ Tx,Ty ], wherein;

Cx, Cy=camera pixel location along camera x, and y axes;

Rx, Ry=robot X and Y coordinates in the default tool;

Ru=robot yaw (u) in degrees;

Tx, Ty=unknown tool point offset with respect to a centerline of a Z axis of the robot;

Poly=a polynomial fit of desired order; and

Rot(Ru) represents a rotation matrix around the Z axis for a given angle Ru;

setting the calculated tool offsets; and

saving the camera-robot calibration values in the memory.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the calibration target at a defined location includes the robot moving the calibration target from a defined location in a default tool position.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the array includes creating a uniform array.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the array includes creating a non-uniform array.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying a location of the calibration target at each measuring point includes identifying an orientation parameter relative to the defined location.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein subsequent to calculating the tool offsets, the method further comprises:

comparing differences between actual values and calculated values of the robot coordinates for the at least two different orders of the equation; and

selecting an equation solution of the equation order having the smaller differences between the actual values and calculated values of the robot coordinates.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the tool offsets includes calculating the tool offsets and the camera-robot calibration values of a first order of the equation and further comprises:

comparing differences between actual values and calculated values of the robot coordinates for the first order of the equation; and

saving in the memory the camera-robot calibration values of the first order of the equation when the differences are within a preselected range.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein subsequent to calculating the tool offsets, the method further comprises:

comparing differences between actual values and calculated values of the robot coordinates for a first order of the equation with a preselected range;

calculating the tool offsets and the camera-robot calibration values of a second order of the equation when the differences are not within the preselected range for the first order of the equation;

comparing differences between actual values and calculated values of the robot coordinates for the second order of the equation with the preselected range;

saving in the memory the camera-robot calibration values of the second order of the equation when the differences are within the preselected range.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising after the saving in the memory:

repeating the calculating and comparing steps for incrementally larger orders of the equation until differences between actual values and calculated values of the robot coordinates for the incrementally larger order of the equation are within the preselected range; and

saving in the memory the camera-robot calibration values of the incrementally larger order of the equation.