Error compensation based on surface reconstruction for industrial robot on two-dimensional manifold

Purpose This paper aims to present error compensation based on surface reconstruction to improve the positioning accuracy of industrial robots. Design/methodology/approach In previous research, it has been proved that the positioning error of industrial robots is continuous on the two-dimensional manifold of six-joint space. The point cloud generated by positioning error data can be used to fit the continuous surfaces, which makes it possible to apply surface reconstruction on error compensation. The moving least-squares interpolation and the B-spline method are used for the error surface reconstruction. Findings The results of experiments and simulations validate the effectiveness of error compensation by the moving least-squares interpolation and the B-spline method. Practical implications The proposed methods can control the average of compensated positioning error within 0.2 mm, which meets the requirement of a tolerance (±0.5 mm) for fastener hole drilling in aircraft assembly. Originality/value The error surface reconstruction based on the B-spline method has great superiority because fewer sample points are needed to use this method than others while keeping the compensation accuracy at the same level. The control points of the B-spline error surface can be adjusted with measured data, which can be applied for the error prediction in any temperature field.