A Complete Workflow for Automatic Forward Kinematics Model Extraction of Robotic Total Stations Using the Denavit-Hartenberg Convention

Development and verification of real-time algorithms for robotic total stations usually require hardware-in-the-loop approaches, which can be complex and time-consuming. Simulator-in-the-loop can be used instead, but the design of a simulation environment and sufficient detailed modeling of the hardware are required. Typically, device specification and calibration data are provided by the device manufacturers and are used by the device drivers. However, geometric models of robotic total stations cannot be used directly with existing robotic simulators. Model details are often treated as company secrets, and no source code of device drivers is available to the public. In this paper, we present a complete workflow for automatic geometric model extraction of robotic total stations using the Denavit-Hartenberg convention. We provide a complete set of Denavit-Hartenberg parameters for an exemplary robotic total station. These parameters can be used in existing robotic simulators without modifications. Furthermore, we analyze the difference between the extracted geometric model, the calibrated model, which is used by the device drivers, and the standard spherical representation for 3D point measurements of the device.