Gripper TCP

Hi. I have a tool which does not require kinematics.

I have followed the gripper modelling tutorial but although the gripper mounts to the robot using pnp, it does not export its tcp to the robot.

I used the end effector wizard.

I have created a tool container.

Is there another way to setup the pnp without using the wizard?

Hi ,

Yes of course there is . You will own your own PNP gripper if you configure interface properly.

1. Select one to one interface behaviour .
2. section : hierarchy - node (the component node your gripper
3. add section-> tool export -> toolContainer-> export click (true)
4. create your own python
   1. if you want to use use your gripper as an external axis you need to add joint export section and robot controller can handle all the joint movements
   2. If you want to control via I/O control , after building your interface you need to create your inputs and outputs and you need to implement your own script.

I have tried that and attached the properties snapshot.

TCP does not appear in the robot list.

Even if I set a tcp for tool2 and put it where I want, if I try to do a pick and place it resorts back to tool1

Capture.png319×502 11.5 KB

Is the tool frame of the gripper listed as an option in the Jog panel, Robot section, Tool property?

If yes, the tool frame was imported by robot.

If no, check the robot tool interface for which section is plugged into your gripper.

If the tool frame was imported properly and has default properties then it should work out of the box. Otherwise, sounds like bug or tcp-base issue or kinematic solver of robot.

The tool frame is not imported by the robot

check the robot tool interface for which section is plugged into your gripper

How do I do that?

Hi Calvin，

Try to put ToolExport field in the MountSection like the attachment.

ToolExport.png951×631 49.7 KB

@CalvinCarson

If the interface of gripper does not have a tool export field in its interface then the tool frame is not exported. I don’t have access to software atm, but BaiYang is correct.

If the EOAT wizard is not creating the Tool Export field, by default, then I would recommend submitting feature request to support@visualcomponents.com.

To check a connection:

Select the robot, and then from Modeling tab, go to Component Graph panel and select the interface behavior your gripper is plugged into (depends on robot model, but check the mountplate node’s behaviors first).

After the interface behavior is selected, go to Properties panel and expand the sections to see which one is greyed out/showing a connection (don’t know if 4.1 shows that anymore, but in 2014 you could see which section is currently connected).

Also, review the fields of the connected section. That is important because the fields of the section need to match and be compatible with the fields of the section in your gripper. Why? An interface does not have to be one-dimensional, i.e only support one type of connection. Therefore, multiple sections are used to support different types of connections. For example, mounting a gripper with no tool export is possible as should a gripper with a tool export field; they would just have to connect to different sections. More importantly, the order of fields is important in a section.

The VC generic robot, for example, has many different sections in its root and mountplate nodes to support different types of connections. You can test by connecting the robot to a pedestal template versus a robot positioner; the latter making the robot import base frames.

Ok. I tested it with the generic robot and it works fine. Must be something specific to this robot. I think I need to call the support line for this one.

How bizarre!

After connecting to the generic robot and then back to the fanuc robot, suddenly the gripper tool appears in the Fanuc list as well.

On further investigation it seems that once I modelled a tcp and export it in the gripper model. I should save it a different component name.

Then bring in the new component by dragging in from the windows explorer folder.

Then it seems to bring in the new changes correctly.

Also the pnp somethings seems to corrupt somehow on the Fanuc robot.

If I remove the robot from the simulation and bring it in again from the library, the pnp starts working correctly again.