A closed form solution to the kinematic parameter identification of robot manipulators

A closed form solution for the unknown kinematic parameters of a robot manipulator obtained directly from the forward kinematic model is described. The method requires the use of neither a nominal model nor a linearized error model of the robot. Such a solution is possible because of (1) the use of a special robot kinematic modeling convention, namely the CPC model, and (2) the use of a particular sequence of robot pose measurements. The CPC orientational parameters of the revolute joints are determined recursively under the condition that the pose measurements of the robot are taken while moving the revolute joints one at a time and successively. The remaining CPC parameters are then computed in terms of the orientational parameters obtained earlier