Control my Kuka robots totally with PC client with Qt and C++

Hello, I am a newcomer to KUKA Robots recently. I have been familiar with KRL and EKI communication of Kuka. However, I want to do more with this powerful robot. Here are some questions that I want to ask:

1. Is it possible to write a background program that will be executed right after the power of the KUKA Robot is turned on? If so, where can I put my source file in Kuka Controller?
2. Is it possible to transfer the files I write on the PC to the Kuka robot through FTP directly? (Like using filezilla)
3. is It possible to use my PC client to control the whole Kuka Robot, including selecting the program I want to activate instead of using the buttons on the Controller PAD?

Thank you very much

Quote from SkyeFire

Yes. There is more than one way to do this, depending on your KSS version, but the most basic is to edit the "stock" background program SPS.SUB. Every KRC comes with this program, and it starts and runs in the background on boot.

SPS.SUB has an "INIT" section that only runs once, on boot (or is the SPS is manually restarted), and a "PLC" section that runs in a continuous loop. Each of these sections has a labelled "USER" section where you can add your own code.

SPS uses typical KRL language, but with certain special rules. SPS cannot issue motion commands (except for specially-configured external axes), and cannot issue commands that might affect motion (changing $BASE, $TOOL, etc), with the sole exception of adjusting the Override speed ($OV_PRO or $OV_APPL).

SPS also must never stop. So using WAIT commands in the SPS is forbidden. KRL will actually allow you to do this, but it will cause the SPS to behave erractically.

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Thanks, then I also want to ask another question. Can I create my own .sub* file in the same folder of sps.sub? Or do I just need to add my own background program in sps.sub?

In addition, if I want to let the background program send the current joint of Kuka when PC client send command into Kuka, I should also create an xml file in Kuka, right? This is the only function I want, instead of any robotic motion program.

Quote

Not really. Remote access to the SmartPad is generally limited to non-Safety actions. So no switching modes between T1/T2/AUT/EXT, no drives-on, etc. You can Cancel/Reset/Select programs this way, but you will not be able to start them through this interface.

Most applications that "remote control" the robot from a PC use EKI or OpenShowVar, and have a program in the robot constantly looping and branching based on variables set by one of those interfaces.

I've heard (haven't tried it myself) that it's possible to select and start a "foreground" program from the SPS (only if Safeties are satisfied and drives are already on), but that brings up a host of potential safety issues. Along with the fact that you still can't switch between operation modes remotely.

I have surveyed on the internet and found some suggestions. One of them is that I can set up Cell/Main sequence in Kuka and use EKI to receive INT to do the corresponding command, but I don't understand it very much. Do you ever hear this before?

Quote from panic mode

yes, if the drives are on, submit can use CWRITE with "RUN /R1/ProgramName" to start ProgramName.src and that can be dangerous. i wonder why CWRITE does not support "SELECT /R1/ProgramName"

Thank you very much. Do you mean I can write a switch code in sps.sub to distinct file that my PC client want to select?

By the way, why it is dangerous to use CWRITE for Kuka robot? Will this function select multiple files simutaneously?

Quote from SkyeFire

Same rules apply about WAIT commands and motion commands, though.

Should be doable. XML files define channels. You can use up to 3(?) channels in parallel with EKI, IIRC.

The trick is, to get the robot to respond to a command from the PC, you'd probably need to open the EKI channel from the INIT section of SPS, then keep it open. Probably have the PC send updates to the robot every X milliseconds with a "null" command, and have the SPS routine written to send back $POS_ACT_MES or $AXIS_ACT_MEAS if/when the PC sends the correct command. So the channel would be passing traffic both ways constantly, and the "trigger" would be when a particular variable hit a particular value.

OK, thank you very much. I understand what I should do to achieve the xml connection. However, I have aother question:

It is necessary to set up IP address and Port number when writing an xml file, right? If I set up my kuka robot as a server and PC as client, should I create two sockets in PC to connect different xml files that support two different programs? Or I can set up two xml files under same port number and different IP address (Same Subnet)?

Thank you

Quote from SkyeFire

You can create a directory on the hard drive (D: recommended) and make that partition network read/writeable (obviously, making the C: drive network-writeable is a VERY BAD IDEA) as an SMB share. Then you can push files to that directory. But the only way to load program files into the RAM drive, for execution, is to do it manually on the SmartPad (using Copy/Paste), or to buy the KUKA DirLoader option that allows programs to be swapped in/out of the RAM drive while operating.

Hello, I just currently encountered a problem when I want to transfer my own .sub* file into kuka controller. I had set up the IP address and subnet mask, also inserted the ethernet cable to Kuka Controller and my PC. For example, the IP address and subnet mask of the kuka is 192.168.XX.11 and 255.255.0.0. And the setting on my PC is 192.168.XX.12 and 255.255.0.0. However, it seemed that only when I select a program that initializes a Xml file that my PC can successfully connect with Kuka Controller.

I think it is a little weird. If I cannot connect with Kuka, how can I start Windows Shared to adding my personal files to directory of Kuka?

In addition, should the IP address in every Xml file be the subnet of KUKA Controller? Which combination of IP should my Socket connect, the one in Kuka Controller or the one set up in Xml file?

Quote from SkyeFire

What is "XX"?

Also, you can't use that combination. The 192.168.1.* subnet in the robot is a reserved internal network IP range, and using 255.255.0.0 is creating a network collision.

I set up my KUKA robot's Ip address as 192.168.50.11, and my PC as 192.168.50.12

You say that subnet mask should not be 255.255.0.0, then can I use 255.255.255.0?

If I set up my Kuka robot's ip as above, what Ip address should I write in every Xml files in the Kuka Controller? Can I still write the same?

<Kuka_background>

<CONFIGURATION>

<EXTERNAL>

<TYPE>Client</TYPE>

<IP>192.168.50.12</IP>

</EXTERNAL>

<INTERNAL>

<ENVIRONMENT>Submit</ENVIRONMENT> <!-- Server run via robot interpreter -->

<BUFFERING Limit="512" /> <!-- Allow buffering of up to 512 messages (system max) -->

<ALIVE Set_Flag="11" /> <!-- Use $flag[11] to indicate alive/good connection status -->

<IP>192.168.50.11</IP>

<PORT>54611</PORT> <!-- Port of EKI interface on robot controller (in [54600, 54615]) -->

<PROTOCOL>TCP</PROTOCOL> <!-- Use UDP protocol -->

</INTERNAL>

</CONFIGURATION>

<RECEIVE>

<XML>

<!-- Get Joint position command -->

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotCmd/@Joint" Type="BOOL" />

</XML>

</RECEIVE>

<SEND>

<XML>

<!-- Joint state positions -->

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Pos/@joint1"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Pos/@joint2"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Pos/@joint3"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Pos/@joint4"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Pos/@joint5"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Pos/@joint6"/>

<!-- Joint state velocities -->

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Vel/@A1"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Vel/@A2"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Vel/@A3"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Vel/@A4"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Vel/@A5"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Vel/@A6"/>

<!-- Joint state efforts (torques) -->

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Eff/@A1"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Eff/@A2"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Eff/@A3"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Eff/@A4"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Eff/@A5"/>

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/Eff/@A6"/>

<!-- Interface state -->

<ELEMENT Tag="RobotState/RobotCmd/@Size"/> <!-- Number of elements currently in command buffer -->

</XML>

</SEND>

</Kuka_background>

Here is my Xml file that I want to initialize in the sps.sub for Kuka.

Quote

The XML files are for EKI, they have nothing to do with file sharing.

File sharing is done the same as for any standard Windows computer. You'll need to minimize the KUKA HMI on the SmartPad to get access to the underlying Windows layer, then pick your directories to share and set the permissions.

Then you simply point your PC's File Explorer to the robot's IP address, as you would for any typical PC-to-PC file sharing.

If xml files is nothing to do with file sharing, then what is the function of IP address and port number existing in every Xml file? Is it just the mark that make server to know which task is required?