Operation Modes

Operation Modes is a feature for limiting the motion speed depending on the state of digital inputs (e.g. a physical switch). The defined states are automatic mode (no limit) and manual mode (limited) and no motion. Note that this feature is not safety rated, disable motor power via e-stop for safety critical tasks.

The speed limit is defined in mm/s at the tool and applies to both joint and linear motion in robot programs and jog motion. It currently is not implemented for the Position Interface and it does not apply to the referencing motion.

Behavior

Two digital inputs are used to select the operation mode by applying a high signal:

• no inputs high: No motion
• only input "manual mode" high: manual mode
• only input "auto" high: automatic mode
• both inputs high: automatic mode

Modes can be switched in motion, the velocity limit is applied immediately without a ramp. Warning: this may cause high acceleration or deceleration! High acceleration can cause a stall or other issues.

The velocity limit is applied only when the limit is exceeded - unlike the velocity override setting which simply scales the speed. If the robot program is moving slower than the limit there will be no difference. When the limit is exceeded the motion is stretched in time. This means that the robot moves along the same path but the speed of some joints (e.g. external axes) may not be linear.

Configuration

Currently the operation modes can only be configured manually.

1. Load the project configuration file from the robot and open it in a basic text editor.
2. Search for a line starting with "<OperationModes". If it does not exist find "</ProjectFile>" in the last line of the file and add the following above it:

   <OperationModes Active="True" ManualMaxVelMMPerSec="50" DInOpModeAuto="20" DInEnableMotionInManualMode="21" />
   

3. Set "Active" to true to enable operation modes or false to disable the function.
4. Enter the velocity limit in mm/s after "ManualMaxVelMMPerSec"
5. Enter the digital input for automatic mode "DInOpModeAuto": Counting starts at 0, so for DIn21 enter 20. Set it to -1 if you do not need automatic mode.
6. Enter the digital input for manual mode in "DInEnableMotionInManualMode" as explained for automatic mode.
7. Save the file, load it back to the robot and restart it to apply the change.