Changing the robot speed on the fly, mid-movement

I don't know if you can or know but you can simply change the REP. SPD in the TP?

Just click on it and apper a submenu where you can increase or decrease speed by step of 10% of the max and you can do it on the fly.

Welcome to the forum...……….

I think you may need to contact Kawasaki direct regarding this.
I know with Kawasaki Arc Weld spec robots, you can override the main speed parameter of the weld instruction by using the Teach Pendant.
- This dynamically increases/decreases the tip speed (during the motion).
- But this has to be done manually via the Teach Pendant and is only available in Arc Weld Spec.
- But this is also means there is something that exists in software in order to accomplish this.

Therefore, in theory, it is implemented of sorts, that's why I am confident Kawasaki will be able to provide a more accurate answer.

It may be there is an additional option required installing and possibly changing the spec of your robot to Arc Welding (even if it is not arc welding) in order to have this feature, but looking at the manuals, it doesn't seem to be available as a 'standard' function.

Would be interested to hear of any feedback after you've contacted them though.....

I think that, if you want to use this for some SAFETY reason you must have Cubic-S unit and use Protective stop function

So how are going to get Cubic-S to send a new AS Command?
- This bit I am really interested in....

I am very interested in this topic on how it progresses and willing to through in what I currently know to see if you can achieve your target and totally understand where company IP and confidentiality is concerned...…..

Yes, what I was talking about with the 'speed' changing dynamically, was based on what you originally said.
When a motion is in progress, it is in execution but the speed has already been processed/applied before commencing execution.
Therefore a speed change request will not be processed again, until the next process 'tick' of the CPU or a break in the execution such as Hold as you've pointed out.
If you do ask the question at Kawasaki, this would be a great option to have and from what I have seen on the Arc Weld Spec, is currently in place, and just needs to come out as a specific option and AS Command applicable.

I was not aware of the Cubic-S option before replying, which makes what I said sort of irrelevant, but is still worth an email perhaps.

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Maybe I've not explained it well (sorry, english is not my first language ), but I've not been involved in the planning of this project; I've been only asked to work on it after everything was already decided.

Not at all...…Often people that plan/make decisions may be based on what they have seen in a demonstration as opposed to being exposed to the 'actual' configuration details involved.
(Not to say this is always the case).

I have seen other 'safety devices' DCS etc in other robots (but never used them) and all demonstrations I have seen, always show, speed changes based on something similar to what you describe as your 'layers'.
However, I do not quite know just how they achieve this (as I have never used them).

Considering your similarities to this and in conjunction with what I know about Cubic-S (I may be missing something).
- Cubic-S monitors encoder values of the specific robot parameters in conjunction with configuration to 'allow/deny' motion.
- It works in parallel to the Controller and cannot send any commands to the Controller, so direct speed commands cannot be transferred.
- Cubic-S only makes/breaks the 'External EStop' circuit based on the 'allow/deny' configuration set using CS Configurator.

So, unless I have missed something, then the only way of 'talking' to the Controller is by way of the safety IO of Cubic-S or/and the IO of the safety peripheral in use such as a light curtain to connect to the standard IO of the Controller.
Then by using a background task, or even main motion routine, react to either:
- Safety IO of Cubic-S (which I don't think is possible directly for the Controller to monitor for - This I am not sure about).
- Use the dual channel outputs of Cubic-S and directly drive standard IO logic of the Controller and monitor for these states.
- Use the safety peripheral output directly to drive the standard IO logic of the Controller and monitor for these states.

If the above is the only way, then it's a case of configuring Cubic-S/Safety peripheral to send the specific Output at the time you want to initiate a 'speed change' in the Controller.

In my simplistic mindset, this would mean possibly individual or a combination of a location taught prior to/at the light curtain trigger:
- The location joint angles to be stored in Cubic-S to send an output when the joint angle/joint angle range is achieved.
- The speed monitoring option to be enabled by the light curtain to stop the robot if it doesn't slow down (Cubic-S Protection).
- A background task to monitor for this input from the Joint angle output/Speed Monitoring output and initiate the MC Speed change.
- This should be instantaneous be applied for the next program step (resulting in a slow speed).
- The Joint angle will be different, output from the joint angle is off, the background task will not initiate any further speed changes.
- The speed monitoring function will kick in and stop the robot should your background task fail/or other reasons.
- When it hits the 'next layer' your overall protection comes in.

I think there will be mileage to explore some of the above, but I think fundamentally the only way of achieving this is by use of the IO of the Controller to be integrated into to the system.
Of course, there may be areas I am missing out on (there may be additional functions/options available in Cubic-S now) and if there are other solutions, I would sincerely love to hear about them for sure.

Hope this helps...……….

Well, this is what I was referring to when I said:

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(there may be additional functions/options available in Cubic-S now)

And indeed there is...…………..

Not too sure about profinet, as isn't this just a standard fieldbus, not safety network?

However, there is a network function with Cubic-S (using Ethernet/IP) reading the manuals where the Controller interfaces with an external PLC and it looks like it does indeed communicate with the Cubic-S Module......But on the IO level only.

Attached is the manual, if you read this in conjunction with the Cubic-S Manual I think you could be onto a winner...….just a case of configuring the port and allocation in the Controller (and that information appears to be in the manual too)

Hope this helps...……...

Quote from buontempone

Secondly, my problem: I've been asked to implement a solution to change the speed of the robot ( an RS007n with F controller) mid-movement without stopping; from my experience I don't think it is possible, but I thought it was worth asking here.

It is tricky, but it is possible.
Try to use "slow repeat mode" - this is the only method known to me to change the speed during movement (since D-CON).

Firstly in AUX / advanced setting / set slow repaet speed expressed in % (unfortunately it can't be in mm/s unit).
Then use the dedicated signal "Ext. slow repeat mode".

Of course, you should immediately activate Cubic-S speed monitoring on the two-channel input when the signal "Ext. slow repeat mode" is turned on (actually off because this one signal is in negative notation).