Method of High-Precision Measurement Station Optimization and Layout Deviation Compensation for Laser Tracker

Laser tracker (LT) has been widely used in 3-D measurement in various industries. The layout of LT often deviates from its optimal state due to manual operation deviation and various other uncertainties in real use environment. This can introduce disproportionately large measurement errors. In order to address this, a novel measurement station optimization and layout deviation compensation method is developed. Under the proposed method, measurement error sources are first analyzed, and an accurate error model is derived. Subsequently, the LT layout constraints, which consider actual working conditions, are defined. Then, the optimal layout station of LT is derived by solving a constrained optimization problem. Further, a compensating method for the actual layout deviation of LT is introduced. This can aid in arranging LT toward its ideal layout station, thus maximizing the measurement accuracy of LT. To verify the effectiveness of the developed methodology, we conducted real measurement experiments, as well as simulation-based experiments. The experimental results show superior performance of the developed method over the state-of-the-art methods. The developed method can effectively reduce the measurement uncertainty and errors of LT with good measurement stability and versatility. It provides industries a valuable way to improve the performance of LT in real environments.