Draft:TCP calibration
Calibration of a robot tool
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TCP calibration (Tool Center Point calibration) is the process of determining the 6 degree-of-freedom rigid-body transformation between a robot's end-effector flange and the Tool Center Point (TCP) of an attached tool[1]. The transformation consists of a three-dimensional translation vector and a three-dimensional rotation describing the pose of the TCP relative to the flange coordinate system.
 | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 2 months or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 3,487 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
TCP calibration can be performed using analytical or numerical methods.
Analytical methods
Analytical methods include the geometric modeling of the end-effector assembly among others. Using geometric modeling, a three-dimensional model of the tool and mounting interface is created, and the translational and rotational offsets between the flange and the TCP are measured directly in the simulation, for example in CAD software[2].
Geometric modeling is simple to implement but suffers from discrepancies between the model and the physical system, including manufacturing tolerances, mounting inaccuracies, and structural deflections. These discrepancies lead to an error which is time-consuming to correct manually.
Numerical methods
Numerical methods estimate the TCP transformation from measured robot poses. Common approaches include:
- Four-point method – The robot is moved such that the TCP coincides with a fixed reference point in space from multiple orientations. The intersection constraint allows computation of the TCP offset[3]. It is not necessary for the coordinates of the reference point to be known, it must however remain stationary in the process.
- Sphere method – The TCP is moved while maintaining contact with a spherical target object. The center of the target sphere corresponds to the TCP location relative to the flange after calibration[4].
Numerical methods generally provide higher practical accuracy because they compensate for assembly tolerances and mounting errors. They are however more time-consuming for initial implementation.