Computationally Efficient Magnetic Position System Calibration

Abstract

Properties such as high resolution, contactless (and thus wear-free) measurement, low power consumption, robustness against temperature and contamination as well as low cost make magnetic position and orientation systems appealing for a large number of industrial applications. Nevertheless, one major practical challenge is their sensitivity to fabrication tolerances. In this work, we propose a novel method for magnetic position system calibration based on the analytical computation of the magnetic field and on the application of an evolutionary optimization algorithm. This scheme enables the calibration of more than 10 degrees of freedom within few seconds on standard quad-core ×86 processors and is demonstrated by calibrating a highly cost-efficient 3D-printed 3-axis magnetic joystick.

Rapid Prototyping of Automotive Magnetic Positioning Systems

“…The major issue with magnetic position system testing equipment is the difficult alignment of position and orientation between sensor and magnet, which results from system assembly, but also imperfectly fabricated magnets and sensors themselves. Many schemes have been proposed to achieve such a calibration, all with their advantages and disadvantages [7,8]. The proposed 6DoF setup requires a (semi-)automatic scheme, that will work with different magnets and sensors to enable fast prototyping and repeated measurements.…”