measure_welding_tcp

Definition
DRFLEx.h within class CDRFLEx, public section

LPMEASURE_TCP_RESPONSE measure_welding_tcp(unsigned char iMode, float fStickout, float fTargetPos[9][NUMBER_OF_JOINT])
{
    return _measure_welding_tcp(_rbtCtrl, iMode, fStickout, fTargetPos);
};

Features

This function measures the Tool Center Point (TCP) for a welding tool using the specified measurement mode and stick-out length.

During measurement, the robot moves to up to 9 target positions defined by the parameter fTargetPos. The result includes both TCP coordinates and measurement status information.

This function is mainly used to calibrate welding tool positions for precise path execution and can be applied for torch alignment, offset correction, or tool verification.

Arguments

Argument	Data Type	Description
iMode	unsigned char	Measurement mode (0: 4-point method, 1: 6-point method)
fStickout	float	Stick-out distance of the welding torch (mm).
fTargetPos	float[9][NUMBER_OF_JOINT]	Target joint or Cartesian positions for up to 9 points. Used for TCP calculation and accuracy calibration.

Return

Return Value	Description
LPMEASURE_TCP_RESPONSE	Structure containing the measured TCP position (X, Y, Z, RX, RY, RZ) and the measurement error (`_fError`). `nullptr` if the request could not be sent.

Example

// Example: Welding TCP measurement procedure
unsigned char iMode = 0;  // 0: 4-point method, 1: 6-point method
float fStickout = 30.0f;  // Stick-out value in millimeters

// Define 9 target points (joint or Cartesian positions)
float fTargetPos[9][NUMBER_OF_JOINT] = {
    {0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0},
    {5.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0},
    {0.0, 5.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0},
    {0.0, 0.0, 5.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0},
    {0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 5.0, 0.0, 0.0},
    {0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 5.0, 0.0},
    {5.0, 5.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0},
    {5.0, 0.0, 5.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0},
    {0.0, 5.0, 5.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0}
};

// Define structure to store TCP measurement results
LPMEASURE_TCP_RESPONSE result;

// Perform TCP measurement
result = Drfl.measure_welding_tcp(iMode, fStickout, fTargetPos);

// nullptr means the request could not be sent
if (result)
{
    printf("Measured TCP: X=%.3f, Y=%.3f, Z=%.3f, RX=%.3f, RY=%.3f, RZ=%.3f\n",
           result->_tTCP._fTargetPos[0], result->_tTCP._fTargetPos[1], result->_tTCP._fTargetPos[2],
           result->_tTCP._fTargetPos[3], result->_tTCP._fTargetPos[4], result->_tTCP._fTargetPos[5]);
    // Judge the measurement quality from the measurement error
    printf("Measurement error: %.3f\n", result->_fError);
}
else
{
    printf("The welding TCP measurement request could not be sent.\n");
}

In this example, the robot measures the TCP of the welding tool using a 4-point method. The returned structure contains the calculated TCP coordinates and the measurement error.