Publications / 2015 Proceedings of the 32nd ISARC, Oulu, Finland

Electromechanical Development of a Low Cost End Effector Pose Estimation System for Articulated Excavators

Kurt M. Lundeen, Suyang Dong, Nicholas Fredricks, Manu Akula, Vineet R. Kamat
Pages 1-8 (2015 Proceedings of the 32nd ISARC, Oulu, Finland, ISBN 978-951-758-597-2, ISSN 2413-5844)
Abstract:

Vision-based pose estimation, in which optical cameras monitor fiducial markers to determine the three dimensional positioning and orientation of an articulated machine's end effector, offers a promising low-cost alternative to currently available sensor packages that are non-ubiquitous and cost prohibitive for a large portion of the market. Whereas traditional sensor systems determine end effector pose via kinematic chains passing through the links of a machine, optical sensor systems are capable of determining pose by observing an end effector directly. However, since markers cannot be mounted on an excavator's bucket for occlusion and durability reasons, a short kinematic chain must be used. An electromechanical design is proposed to provide such function for a low cost marker-based excavator pose estimation system. Several iterations of design and experimentation are discussed, including a four-bar linkage system, a synchronous belt system, a bucket linkage system, and a cable potentiometer system. The four-bar linkage and toothed belt systems were designed to transmit bucket angle information to cameras through the manipulation of a marker's pose, but were found to possess Gimbal lock and practicality issues, respectively. To overcome such issues, a generalized mapping approach was adopted and implemented in a bucket linkage design and a cable potentiometer design. The viability of the cable potentiometer system was experimentally confirmed, along with the identification of further work needed to refine the technology for large-scale practical implementation.

Keywords: Marker-based Pose Estimation, Excavation Monitoring and Guidance, Excavation Safety, Alternative Sensor Design