Overview #

The KinematicsObject is a C++ class authored by Henry Phalen, which provides a base definition for kinematic states, such as joints, positions, velocities, and more. This class is crucial in the design of robotic systems that need to track and manage kinematic states for different joints.

The corresponding source files are:

• Header file: KinematicsObject.h
• Source file: KinematicsObject.cpp

The class utilizes other libraries, including cisstVector, sawConstraintController/prmKinematicsState, and cisstParameterTypes/prmStateJoint.

Class Definition #

Here’s an outline of the KinematicsObject class:

Variables #

• kinematics_state: An instance of prmKinematicsState, used to store the state of kinematics.
• num_joints: An integer representing the number of joints.
• name: A string that stores the name of the KinematicsObject instance.

Functions #

• KinematicsObject: This is the constructor function that initializes a KinematicsObject instance. It accepts two optional parameters - a string name (default: “KinematicsObject”), and an integer num_joints (default: 0).
• ~KinematicsObject: This is the destructor function for the KinematicsObject class.
• GetNumberOfJoints: This function returns the number of joints. It does not require any input parameters.
• UpdateState: A pure virtual function that needs to be overridden in any derived classes. This function allows for states to change and does not have any input or output.
• InitializeKinematicsStateSize: This function initializes the kinematic state variables (including joint state position, velocity, and effort) and sets their initial values to zero.

Dependencies #

The KinematicsObject class relies on the following external files:

• cisstVector: A library for vector operations.
• sawConstraintController/prmKinematicsState: A library for managing the state of kinematics.
• cisstParameterTypes/prmStateJoint: A library for managing the state of joints.