2.9 RapidPlan Control - Configure and Operation Modes

The Control Panel initially opens up in Configure Mode. The current mode is displayed at the top of the panel. Click on the Configure, Command, or Terminal button in the Navigation Bar to change modes.

Configure/Operation Mode

You can toggle Robot Configure Mode and Robot Operation Mode by pressing the Enter Configure/Operation Mode button at the top of the 3D view.

Configure Mode is for editing robot settings, for example:

• Changing robot dynamics parameters and other robot settings from the Control Panel Configure tab.

• Creating or updating targets and connections from the Control Panel Configure tab.

• Teleporting a robot to a target in Internal Simulated mode from the Control Panel Configure tab.

Open

Configure Mode

Operation Mode is for moving the robot to targets from a list and poses using its planned or off-roadmap motions. The settings available on the Control Panel Command tab (move speed, smoothing, etc. described below), are used to define how those motions will take place.

Open

Operation Mode

Configure Mode

Configure Mode is where you upload and set up projects, choose a controller and settings for the robots, enter their IP addresses, create or update targets, and set other parameters. In this mode, the Realtime Controller is not actively controlling the joints of the robots.

Projects

The name of the current project, plus access to the Project dropdown.

+ Install Project

You can install a new project by uploading the project to the Control Panel. Installing a new project is the first operation you perform when you open the Control Panel the first time.

This operation must be performed when no project is installed to Control Panel.

You can have multiple projects installed in the Control Panel. They will be listed here and ready to be loaded for runtime operation. If a project is already loaded for runtime operation, the installed projects will be grayed out.

Manage Projects – The following operations can be performed within the each project menu: make a project the default project to load; download a project from the Control Panel as a zip file; uninstall a project from the RTR Controller entirely, or replacing an existing project with an updated version.

To mark a project to be the default project to load, access mode must be set to Advanced. The default project will be loaded automatically after a RTR controller power cycle.

To delete or to update a project, the project must be unloaded.

To update a project, press the Replace button and select the new project. The new project must have the same number of robots, same robot names, and the same robot types as the project to be replaced. The robot settings, i.e., IP addresses, port numbers, etc., are retained for the updated project.

If the settings cannot be applied to the new project due to incorrect number of robots or a wrong project, the existing project is not overwritten and the action is cancelled, with an error message “Error replacing project <project name>. [3031] Project update unsuccessful; selected project not compatible for update: ensure the projects have the same robot ids, robot names, and model types.“

The installation time for the updated project is typically shorter because only the incremental project changes are updated.

Controller Type

There are three types of controllers:

Robot Controller: Send commands from the Realtime Controller to a hardware controller when using physical robots.

Internal Simulated: Send commands only to the simulated robot in the 3D view, not to actual robots.

Third Party Simulated: Send commands from the control panel in a format external simulators can read. 

Controller types can be switched when all robots from a loaded project are disconnected. However, robot settings must be re-adjusted for each controller type before reconnecting robots.

Enable Teach Pendant Control

Robot teach pendant control, previously Auto Acquire, is enabled when the box is checked. A RTR controller will automatically acquire control of the robot when a move command is received, and release control of the robot when the move has completed. This allows teach pendant programs to continue and execute additional commands.

When teach pendant control is enabled, a RTR controller will still acquire and release control of the robot, when the robot is already at a target location.

When the option is disabled:

• API command BeginOperationMode causes a RTR controller to acquire control of all robots in the cell. An explicit ReleaseControl API command is required if another device(e.g. a PLC) needs to control the robot. An explicit AcquireControl API command is required when the RTR controller needs to take control again.

When the option is enabled:

• API command BeginOperationMode does not acquire control of robots.

• Explicit Acquire/Release calls are rejected with an error code.

• Each Move API command results in RTR controller automatically acquiring control of the robot, performing the move, and then automatically releasing control when the move is finished.

• When Enable Teach Pendant Control is enabled, Move commands cannot be queued. Otherwise, an error code will be issued:

  • If auto-acquiring and an additional move is sent: error code 2012 is issued.

  • if auto-releasing and an additional move is sent: error code 2011 is issued.

  • While planning the move or while executing the move and an additional move is sent: error code 4007 is issued. 

Set the rotation convention

A user can set a different Euler convention for rotations. The default setting is Rx*Ry*Rz.

Load button

Loads the project currently in the Project dropdown and displays the indicator LOADED at the top of the 3D View, which will then change to CONNECTED when the robot(s) is/are automatically connected. The project is now ready for runtime operations.

The status of the robots in the Status pane change from Initialized to Connected.

Unload button

Unloads the currently loaded project.

Connect All/Disconnect All button

Disconnect or reconnect all robots with Realtime Controller.

After a RTR project is loaded and connected, RapidPlan Control displays robot dilation.

Robots tab

The Robots tab displays a list of the robots in the currently selected project. Select a robot from the list by clicking on the down arrow next to the robot name. That displays the settings of the selected robot.

Robot Name

The name of the currently selected robot.

Robot Status

If a robot is disconnected and ready to connect, RapidPlan Control displays the status “Initialized“ next to the name of the robot. If a robot is connected, its status is displayed as “Connected.“ If a robot is deactivated, its status is displayed as “Inactive.“

General

Used to set and/or manage the settings for the currently selected robot. The Realtime Controller will only display the settings and configurations necessary for each robot in the project.

Robot Type

The make and model of the robot.

Robot IP Address or Hostname

If connecting to a physical robot, its IP address is entered here.

If an Internal Simulated controller is used, the IP address of a physical robot is ignored and local host IP address is used instead.

Third party simulated controller has a separate IP address assignment.

Settings

Robot-specific settings may be displayed when connecting robots from different OEMs.

Enable Servos on Load

Check this box if RTR projects should be automatically uploaded and started on robot controller. Uncheck this box if you prefer to enable the servos manually.

Initial State

This setting is only available for Internal Simulated robots in Configure mode. After the Initial Preset and the Initial Target are selected from the dropdown list, the simulated robot will switch to the selected preset and teleport to the selected target.

Interrupt Behavior

You can modify replan attempts and timeout settings for both target and pose moves.

The replan number sets the number of times the Realtime Controller will attempt a move before it quite and displays errors. Set it to any negative value and it will attempt infinite replans.

The timeout limit sets how many seconds the Realtime Controller should continue trying to find a path if one cannot be found initially. Set it to any negative value and it will continue trying indefinitely.

Save will issue an ASCII API command “SetInterruptBehavior“ to save the settings for the selected robot to the RTR controller.

Cancel will return the settings to their previous state, but without saving to the RTR controller.

Save to All Robots will apply the settings to all robots in the currently loaded project.

Alternate Location

After the Enable toggle is on, Alternate locations can be defined as Partial Move, Target, or Pose.

If a Target or a Pose is selected, the robot will move to the specified position when obstructed. If the Partial Move option is selected, the robot will move along its path as far as it can before a robot-based obstruction is present.

After the robot has successfully moved to the alternate location, the Complete Original Move toggle specifies whether the robot should try continuously to plan a motion to the original target. Complete Original Move is always on if the Partial Move option is selected.

Save will issue an ASCII API command “SetAlternateLocation“ to save the settings for the selected robot to the RTR controller.

Cancel will return the settings to their previous state, but without saving to the RTR controller.

Save To All Robots will apply settings to all robots in the currently loaded project.

Activate/Deactivate

By default, all robots are activated after a project is loaded.

To deactivate a robot, you must turn on the Deactivate Robot toggle. The deactivated robot must maintain a fixed joint robot preset and a fixed joint configuration to represent a stationary, deactivated state. If the deactivated robot is disconnected, you can use the last known joint configuration saved in the Control Panel by pressing Set to last known joint configuration.

If the deactivated robot is already on a target position, the name of the target is selected.

If the Ignore robot in workcell toggle is turned on, the deactivated robot will not be considered in collision-checking, as if the robot has been physically removed from the workcell.

Advanced Settings

After a RTR project is loaded, robot joint dynamics parameters are entered and edited here for each robot. If a robot has multiple presets, joint dynamics can be specified for each preset.

Copy To - Copy joint values of a selected preset and apply to other presets

Restore Defaults - Restores defaults for all the settings.

Save - Saves the current settings and closes the dialog.

Objects tab

Click on the Objects tab to display the Objects panel. You can select and modify an object’s state here, for example, whether the object is present or suppressed.

Targets tab

In Configure Mode, you can create and adjust targets without having to go back to the RapidPlan Create application.

Targets

When the Targets tab is open, a list of targets is displayed in alphabetical order for the selected robot and the selected robot preset. Press the arrow button next to each target name, or select targets on the 3D view to expand or hide additional operations.

You can edit the name of each target, update its position from the current robot TCP, or delete it. It is also possible to Add a new target or Search for existing targets by name.

Edit Name

Press “Edit Name“ to display the input field to change the target name. Standard naming convention must be followed([2.6] RapidPlan Create 2.6 Naming Conventions, Restrictions, and Recommendations ). Press “Save & Update“ to keep the changes and update the 3D canvas display. Press “Cancel“ to cancel the operation without saving.

Update Position

If a target created in RapidPlan Create is not in its correct location, you can manually jog the robot to where the target should be, then click Update Position and press “Save & Update“ button. The system will move the target and recalculate all the roadmaps. Press the “Cancel“ button to cancel the operation.

If all object states is selected for validating edges, robot motion path validation will check all object states when updating a target. This is the default setting. If active object states is selected, path validation will check active object states when updating a target.

Delete Targets

To delete a target, click “Delete Target“ and confirm the deletion by pressing the “Delete“ button.

Search Targets

When a large number of targets are assigned to a robot preset, the target list becomes long for vertical scrolling and selecting. You can still select a target directly from the 3D view, or, use the Search Targets function to narrow down the target list.

Click the arrow next to “Search Targets“ to show the search field and select the robot name and robot preset to update the target list. Start typing partial names of targets. The target list is updated based on the search result.

Add Target

In Configure Mode, when a new target name is entered under Search Targets, it is possible to add a new target using the new name, without adding any connections.

After a new target is created, it is displayed in the target list.

Connections tab

In robot Configure mode, you can create and adjust connections without having to go back to the RapidPlan Create application.

Filter Connections

To start editing connections, you must enter a target name to display the associated connections. Specify the robot name, robot preset, target name, and Connection Type, to narrow down the search.

Remove Connection

A list of connections is displayed. Click the down arrow for a connection to display its type. You can click “Remove Connection“ to remove the connection.

Add Connection

If there’s no connection between selected targets, it is possible to add a connection based on a specific “Connection Type“. The available connection types are “auto“, “cartesian“, or “joint“.

Only a connection between 2 targets can be added each time.

The creation of a connection may take some time, depending on the complexity of the path and how long validation takes. The Realtime controller must stay in Configure Mode while the connection validation process is in progress.

Operation Mode

In operation mode you can send motion commands. Choose to display either the Robots or the Objects tab.

Robots tab

A list of active robots in the currently loaded project is displayed in the Robots tab. Click the arrow next to a robot’s name to select it and display its command settings.

State

A list of robot presets that have been created for the selected robot. In Internal Simulated mode, the 3D View will immediately update to reflect the selected preset and the targets assigned to it. When controlling a robot controller, you must manually select the correct robot preset to match the actual robot configuration.

Move Previews

Before sending a move command to a target or pose, the final position of the EOAT is previewed in the scene. For a target move, hover over the target name to see the expected EOAT position. For a pose move, update the desired pose value to see the this. The EOAT preview is also shown when teleporting in internal sim mode.

Target Move

Used for moving the selected robot’s end effector to a specific target.

Target Move Settings

Desired Target - A dropdown list of targets to which the robot’s TCP will move according to its planned path. You can filter the list automatically by starting to type the target’s name. Or, you can select a target from the 3D view as the desired target.

Target Move Parameters

Move Speed

Determines the speed at which the robot moves to a target or pose. This number is a percent of maximum tool speed. The default is 20%. The speed factor will affect maximum velocity but not acceleration and jerk.

For planning moves, the speed is capped to 10% in the Control Panel.

Smoothing

A value from 0.0 mm to 500 mm indicating how far from a node the robot should begin smoothing its trajectory. The default value is 0.0 mm.

Move type

Roadmap move type is the default. Direct move or planning move can also be selected from the dropdown menu.

Move to Target button

Sends the move to target command and moves the robot.

Cancel Move button

Cancels a robot move in progress. The Control Panel will display an error message.

Release Control/Acquire Control buttons

The Release Control button is used to hand off control of the robot to an external device controller. Most of the other controls will be disabled since the robot is no longer under Realtime control. The status of the robot changes from Active to Released. The button toggles to Acquire Control, which, when clicked, regains control of the robot from the external device controller.

Pose Move

Used to move the robot’s end effector to an X, Y, Z location and roll, pitch, yaw orientation in 3D space.

Pose Move Settings

Desired Pose: X, Y, Z; Rx, Ry, Rz – Enter X, Y, and Z and Rx, Ry, and Rz values for the desired pose of the robot’s end effector.

Actions - Set to Current TCP Pose

This selection will fill in the Desired Pose X, Y, and Z and Rx, Ry, and Rz boxes with the coordinates and rotation values of the current TCP pose. A red pyramid is displayed in the 3D View at the TCP.

Actions - Copy Pose

This selection will copy the coordinates and rotation values of the current TCP pose.

Pose Move Parameters

Move Speed – Adjust the speed at which the robot moves, to a hub or to a pose, by changing the value (percent of maximum speed) in the this box. The default is 20%. The speed factor will affect maximum velocity, but not acceleration and jerk.

Move Type – Roadmap move type is the default. Direct move or planning move can also be selected from the dropdown menu. A direct move allows you to move the robot directly from its current position to any pose within 0.5m following either a joint path or a linear path. The robot will not follow any of the motions defined in RapidPlan Create. Its motion will be collision checked against the static scene and other robots.

Interpolation – Choose whether the final move of the robot’s end effector when leaving the roadmap to complete a move will be a Joint Space or Cartesian straight-line move.

Smoothing – A value from 0.0 mm to 500 mm indicating how far from a node the robot should begin smoothing its trajectory. The default value is 0.0 mm.

Ignore static scene collisions – If you choose this option, the system will allow collisions between the robot and static elements when moving off roadmap. A message strongly recommends proceeding with caution.

This option should only be used very carefully and should be tested on simulated robots first.

Ignore DSM collisions – Check this option only if the desired move intentionally involves contact with an object in the workcell. The Realtime Controller will make the move even if a collision is detected.

This option should only be used very carefully and should be tested on simulated robots first.

Pose Preview

The target displayed in the 3D View is a preview of the next pose move, showing you a preview of where the robot will move.