Laser sensor based measurement system with 2D motion control

This paper introduces a research project of a three-DoF measurement system development where the accuracy of the measurement highly depends on the joint operation among the moving laser sensor, the motion drives with control and the mechanical subsystems. The project was initiated by an automotive industry where dashboards were automatically assembled. Flexible and nondestructive metrology solutions were required. Several methods were developed and investigated but finally the 2D moving laser sensor was chosen because of the flexibility needed, the technical size of the laser sensors, the cycle times and the changing and sophisticated surface of the needles. 2-axes stepper motor driven linear actuators were designed for positioning the sensor, where the positioning accuracy of the shafts depends only on the resolution of the actuators. Criterions were set for the tracking path design and the motion parameters. For testing the concept, a test rig was developed and test measurements were performed