New Global Referencing Approach in a Camera-LCD Micro Positioning System

In any precision manufacturing process, positioning systems play a very important role in achieving a quality product. As a new approach to current systems, camera-LCD positioning systems are a new technology that can provide substantial improvements enabling better accuracy and repeatability. However, in order to provide stability to the system a global positioning system is required. This paper presents an improvement of a positioning system based on the treatment of images on an LCD in which a new algorithm with absolute reference has been implemented. The method is based on basic geometry and linear algebra applied to computer vision. The algorithm determines the spiral center using an image taken at any point. Consequently, the system constantly knows its position and does not lose its reference. Several modifications of the algorithm are proposed and compared. The simulation and test of the algorithm provide an important improvement in the reliability and stability of the positioning system providing errors of microns for the calculation of the global position used by the algorithm.