safe zones

Do you want to use DCS Cartesian Position Check for that? Is this a multi-arm configuration, or do the robots have separate controllers? Is there a common PLC that controls them, or an IO-interface between them?

The manual that I am using is B-83104EN/03 - Dual Check Safety Function OPERATOR'S MANUAL

Ok. And how do you want the zones to work? Should the robots be never able to leave them, never able to enter them or enter them only under certain circumstances?

So basically you can create zones, which are either "safe outside" (the robot cannot enter the zone) or "safe inside" (the robot cannot leave the zone). Various shapes of zones are available, but the manual will be useful to get through all of them. The zones may be disabled by different signals, including "relays" that you can evaluate using the DCS Safe I/O Connect option. A "disabled zone" no longer stops the robot, until it is enabled again. You can also define a stop-type for each zone, starting with a "no-stop" (useful for some internal safety logic), then going through "controlled stop" to "power-off stop" - usage of a particuar stop-type depends on the safety requirements.

Be aware, that to make DCS really operator-safe, you must use safety signals (and "safe internal relays"/SIRs for logic).

For example: if you just want to prevent robots from leaving their zones, just create them as "safe inside". To be able to drive the robot back inside the zone (in case it attempts to leave it, for example due to a faulty path-programming), you can just use the SSI[8: T1] to disable the zone in T1 and enable the robot movement.

I have written my last reply just after you posted the description... So, in this case, you have to create a "safe outside" zone on each controller and then disable it when the other robot is NOT inside it. To evaluate it, you can use the CPC signal serving the created zone.
The tricky part will be interfacing in this case. Theoretically, this is just a machine-safety issue, so a simple, non-safety signal should be enough for disabling the zone. BUT the Safe I/O Connect option only allows safe output signals to be output directly by it, so here is the trick:

You basically need 2 signals - one for informing the other robot, that the zone is free (output) and one for disabling the zone (input; basically means "the other robot NOT in the zone")

• For setting the "zone is free" output signal, you will have to assign the CPC signal to a SIR, then assign the SIR to a DI, and then output this DI as a DO to the other robot through PLC.


• For reading the "zone free?" (= disabling) input signal, you will have to assign a DI which comes from the other robot (through the PLC) to an NSI, then assign this NSI to a SIR and use this SIR for disabling the zone.

Of course you have to do the assignments on both robots.

Hope this helps, but you'll need the manual anyway I guess.

And don't forget to implement a way to disable the zone when both robots are inside (during teaching for example) - in this case they will be stopping each other! You can use the mentioned SSI[8:T1] for that, combined with the SIR mentioned in my last post. Example:

SIR[10: Disable zone] = SIR[1: Zone free] OR SSI[8: T2]

Then of course you need to use the SIR[10] for disabling the zone (not SIR[1])

To avoid stops during production, you can also assign SIR[1] to a DI and use that DI in a WAIT instruction before moving into the zone (so that each robot will wait until the other is out of the zone).

Quote from bidzej

I have written my last reply just after you posted the description... So, in this case, you have to create a "safe outside" zone on each controller and then disable it when the other robot is NOT inside it. To evaluate it, you can use the CPC signal serving the created zone.
The tricky part will be interfacing in this case. Theoretically, this is just a machine-safety issue, so a simple, non-safety signal should be enough for disabling the zone. BUT the Safe I/O Connect option only allows safe output signals to be output directly by it, so here is the trick:

You basically need 2 signals - one for informing the other robot, that the zone is free (output) and one for disabling the zone (input; basically means "the other robot NOT in the zone")

• For setting the "zone is free" output signal, you will have to assign the CPC signal to a SIR, then assign the SIR to a DI, and then output this DI as a DO to the other robot through PLC.

• For reading the "zone free?" (= disabling) input signal, you will have to assign a DI which comes from the other robot (through the PLC) to an NSI, then assign this NSI to a SIR and use this SIR for disabling the zone.

Of course you have to do the assignments on both robots.

Hope this helps, but you'll need the manual anyway I guess.

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This isn't working for me...

I don't know how to do the simulation with a PLC, so I'm forcing the signal (DO), if I force this signal to ON, one of the robots stops because this digital output is assigned to an NSI, and this NSI is assigned to a SIR wich is the signal who disabled CPC (Disabling input), the robot doesn't move if the disabling input is OFF, the problem comes when the disabling input is ON because this disables the CPC... If CPC is disabled then the robot never send the first SIR signal.

Maybe I have something wrong on my configuration?

Sorry if this question is so dummy but i'm just an student and sorry for my english.

Just as a general comment. If you set the disabling input of a zone to ON then the zone will be considered unsafe. In your case this means CPC[1] will be OFF as soon as SIR[2] is ON. It doesn't matter where the robot is at that moment. The robot will be able to move outside of your Zone though for as long as the disabling input is ON. This is working as intended.

If I am reading everything correctly then what you currently have configured is this:

1) DO[X]=OFF -> NSI[1]=OFF -> SIR[2]=ON -> CPC[1]=OFF -> SIR[1]=ON (Doesn't matter where the robot is, robot can move outside of zone)

2.1) DO[X]=ON -> NSI[1]=ON -> SIR[2]=OFF, CPC[1]=OFF -> SIR[1]=ON (Robot outside of safezone, will trigger power-off stop)

2.2) DO[X]=ON -> NSI[1]=ON -> SIR[2]=OFF, CPC[1]=ON -> SIR[1]=OFF (Robot inside of safezone)

Is this what you wanted to do?