A Novel Calibration System for a Space Manipulator

It is important to calibrate the position and attitude precision for space manipulator in laboratory environment. The construction goal of the calibration system for a space manipulator is to simulate the microgravity environment in space, to counterbalance the impact of gravity on manipulator and to realize the test of 3D position precision, attitude and trajectory precision in the terrestrial environment. This paper introduces a novel calibration system. Based on the definitions of five kinds of reference frames, this paper illustrates the relationships among the reference frames and the coordinate transformation method between the relevant reference frames. Furthermore, the paper defines four calibration items. Finally, a calibration case study is presented in detail, which verifies the availability of mechanical interface, air-bearing test-bed and air-bearing feet