HEIDENHAIN encoders for industrial robots

TECHNOLOGY REPORT

Significant Accuracy Improvement
at the Tool Center PointHEIDENHAIN encoders for industrial robots
Speed, power and durability are key characteristics of industrial robots. These robots are
typically used in applications such as welding or in lifting heavy components for vehicle
assembly. Yet despite advanced calibration methods, the position accuracy of industrial robots
has been inadequate for certain tasks. This is now changing thanks in part to highly accurate,
output-side encoders from HEIDENHAIN and AMO.

The main driver behind this development has been the aerospace industry because it must perform highly accurate
machining operations on very large components. Machine tools would achieve the required level of accuracy with ease
but are either too inflexible or too expensive as special-purpose machines for the job sites and working spaces involved.
A robot, however, can easily reach any position on a very large component, such as the fuselage of an aircraft, and canperform tasks on it such as drilling and milling.

Accuracy is impaired by many factors
For these kinds of applications, however, the tool center point (i.e., the tool at the end of the robot’s arm) must be
positioned and guided with sufficient accuracy. This is where the classic industrial robot runs up against its limits.
Deviations result from a variety of factors:¢ 
In order to achieve the desired level of maneuverability, robots with serial kinematics are required, such as articulated

robots with six axes.
¢ Each one of these axes is driven by a servo motor with a gear train. Zero position error, backlash, and joint elasticities arethe main sources of inaccuracy.
¢ 
Applied forces and dynamic effects during the machining process affect the rigidity of the robot’s mechanics andnegatively influence the absolute position accuracy.

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Thanks to advanced calibration methods, it is already possible to move a tool center point to a certain position repeatedly towithin several hundredths of a millimeter. Depending on the manufacturer, the repeatability of articulated robots as per ISO
9283 is ±0.1 mm or better.
However, when compared with repeatability, the absolute position accuracy that can be achieved within the robot’s
coordinate system is worse by a factor of ten. Depending on their design, maximum range, and maximum load capacity,
articulated robots currently achieve an absolute position accuracy of ±1 mm. This is insufficient for meeting the accuracy
requirements of industries such as the aerospace sector. Yet robot manufacturers have been responding to this problem.

Step 1: highly dynamic motor control
Classic rotary encoders continue to provide the servo motor feedback at the robot’s axes. Because servo motors require
high control dynamics, the robust inductive rotary encoders from HEIDENHAIN, such as those of the ECI 1100 and 1300
series, or multiturn models of the EQI 110 and 1300 series, are ideal for this type of application. These encoders deliver highcontrol quality and system accuracy, and they are resistant to strong vibrations. Since these encoders feature a purely serial
EnDat interface, even applications exposed to strong electromagnetic interference do not impair data transfer quality orsafety.

Figure 1:
Classic HEIDENHAIN rotary encoder for motor feedback

TECHNOLOGY REPORT3

These inductive rotary encoders support safety integrity level SIL 2, category 3 PL d. They can even attain SIL 3, orcategory 4 PL e, if additional measures are taken on the control. These encoders also provided the added safety advantage
of mechanical fault exclusion against the loosening of the shaft and stator connection. With this safety package, these
inductive rotary encoders can also be used in systems designed for human-robot collaboration.

Step 2: secondary encoders for highly accurate position measurement
Robotics manufacturers can significantly improve the absolute position accuracy of their robots by using additional, highaccuracy angle encoders or rotary encoders at every robot axis. These so-called secondary encoders, which are mounted
after each gear train, capture the actual position of every robot joint. This allows the encoders to account for zero position
error and backlash. The retroactive forces on each axis resulting from the machining task are measured as well. All of thisresults in a 70 to 80 percent improvement of the absolute position accuracy at the tool center point.

Figure 2:
Improvement of the absolute position accuracy through the use of so-called secondary encoders on every axis

4Modular angle encoders, such as the HEIDENHAIN ECA 4000 with optical scanning, the HEIDENHAIN ECI 4000 rotary
encoder with inductive scanning, and the AMO WMR angle encoder, are well-suited for these applications. Thanks totheir modular design with a scale drum or scale tape and a separate scanning unit, these encoders are well suited forlarge hollow-shaft diameters and for the challenging installation requirements often encountered in robots due to spaceconstraints. The signal quality of these secondary encoders is considerably better than that of the rotary encoders on
the servo motor, meaning that the returned position values are significantly more accurate—even for highly dynamicmovements.

Figure 3:
High-accuracy HEIDENHAIN and AMO encoders for absolute position measurement on robots

TECHNOLOGY REPORT5ECA 4000

ECI 4000

WMR

Scanning principle

Absolute, optical

Absolute, inductiveIncremental, inductive

Inside diameter

70 mm to 512 mm

90 mm / 180 mm

60 mm to 10 000 mm

Resolution

29 bits

20 bits

Depends on the subsequent electronics

System accuracy±2“±25“ / ±40“

±3“ per meter of arc length

Resistance to contamination

+++

++

Mounting tolerances++++

Table 1:Comparison of the most important specifications for typical secondary encoders

Step 3: accurate position measurement for movable robots
In order to reach all of the machining positions on very large or long components, such as an aircraft fuselage or for
manufacturing large composite fiber components, robots can be moved along the length of the component on linear axes.
For the highly accurate positioning of robots with a linear drive, enclosed linear encoders from HEIDENHAIN are available inlengths of up to 30 m. Position measurement from a linear encoder compensates for thermal errors and other factors thatinfluence the feed mechanisms. These factors cannot be captured by means of conventional position detection methods
based on the pitch of the recirculating ball screw and the angular position of the rotary encoder on the motor.

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Figure 4
HEIDENHAIN linear encoders

Conclusion: highly-accurate position measurement improves accuracy at the tool center point
The use of secondary encoders on all of a robot’s axes, as well as the use of linear encoders for positioning the robot
relative to the workpiece, enables a level of accuracy at the tool center point that allows appropriately equipped industrial
robots to perform positionally accurate machining and handling tasks on components. Angle and linear encoders fromHEIDENHAIN and AMO offer not only the required system accuracy but also the necessary flexibility for installation incomplex and compact robot mechanisms. The suitability of these encoders for safety-related applications also makes it
possible to implement human-robot collaboration systems.

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1233046-20 · 5 · 11/2017 · H · Printed in Germany