Precautions Before Operating

This section explains about the necessary precautions before operating the safety motion.

Contents applied to your application may differ depending on the difference of the model of engine board mounted in the robot controller.

For Safety Use of Safety Motion

Effects on the Existing Functions

In RC8A(safety motion) robot controller, there are "Functions not Available in Safety Motion", "Functions where an Error may be Detected" and "Functions whose Usage is Limited" for RC8A(standard) robot controller. For details, refer to "Effects on the Existing Functions".

Particular Errors of Safety Motion

The following shows the particular errors of safety motion.

Error: When Motor ON for First Time Use

The error may occur when the motor is first turned ON after purchase due to the software motion limit.
This is because the axis is moved out of software motion limit when packing, not a breakdown. Release the error either of the following strategies.

• Release the motor break, and move the robot into the software motion limit manually.
• Even if the error of the software motion limit occurred, set the "monitoring disable input parameter" valid in order to operate the robot with teach pendant or mini-pendant, and turn the monitoring disable input signal (short-circuited) ON. Then, get the robot to move into the software motion limit manually. After the error released, if you won't use the monitoring disable input signal, set the "monitoring disable input parameter" disable.

Error: When Using External Power Source to Mini I/O and Motion I/O Power Supply

When using the external power source to Mini I/O and Motion I/O power supply, if you turn on the power to the robot controller without supplying the external power, or supply the external power after that of the robot, an error may occur and fail to operate the robot as a result.

Be sure to supply the external power before the robot controller will be powered ON.

Connection to Devices with Each Signal of Mini I/O and Motion I/O

There are features and cautions when connecting to the devices with each signal of Mini I/O and Motion I/O as follows:

Features

Basically, safety circuits, such as Enable Auto input (Mini I/O), SS1(Motion I/O), are able to connect to contacts (switches and relay contacts) exclusively. Additionally, the following signals are able to connect to the output signals on safety sensor (transistor output) directly. (Hereafter, "Sensor-connectable-input")

The model of engine board mounted in the robot controller	Sensor-connectable-input
N, 7	SS2 RSM(RSM1 to RSM3)
E, C	SS2 RSM(RSM1 to RSM3) Tool number(TOOL0 to TOOL3) SS1 Monitoring area disable(Monitoring area0 to Monitoring area3) Monitoring disable Safe reference position check

The system in which the area sensor detects the human body and stops the robot is possible by connecting the signal of area sensor to SS2.

The above input signal has parameters to be set, which ask whether the signal to be input is "contact" or "transistor output". When shipping a robot controller, as the input signal is set "contact", you need to change the setting when connecting the safety sensor. For details, refer to the following precautions.

Precautions

• Devices which connect to Mini I/O, Motion I/O should be conducted the risk assessment, and then select the devices which meets the requirements of the safety measures.
• Power-supply to Mini I/O and Motion I/O should be the same one.
• When connecting a safety sensor to the sensor-connectable-input (see the table in [Feature]), pay attention to the following points.
  • If you intend to connect a safety sensor with the input, select a safety sensor that satisfies all of the following requirements.
    ・Safety-certified sensor
    ・Its output is PNP open collector type
    ・Output is duplicated
    ・It outputs OFF-pulse
    ・OFF-pulse of duplicated two outputs are not overlapped
    ・Output is negative logic (becomes functional at Low level)
  • The logic of sensor-connectable-input is negative logic, which becomes functional at Low level. For safety sensor, use the output signal is negative logic.
  • Sensor-connectable-input sees if OFF pulse (turns to Low level instantaneously during the state of High level) is entered periodically to check if the functions of devices connected work normally. If OFF pulse is not entered, it may result in an error, select the safety sensor which meets the necessity measures for OFF pulse output.
    

    The model of engine board mounted in the robot controller	Pulse Specification
    N, 7
    E、C

  • You need to change setting of input for sensor-connectable-input. After setting the parameters by using WINCAPSIII, send the necessary data for monitoring with RC8A Safety parameter tool to the robot controller, and restart the robot.
    

    Operation path : [Project] - [Parameter]- Safety
    No.	Name of Setting	Setting of Safety Sensor When Connecting
    28	Area sensor SS2 input setting	Enable:1, input to connecting the safety sensor
    29	Area sensor RSM1 input setting
    30	Area sensor RSM2 input setting
    31	Area sensor RSM3 input setting
    32	Area sensor TOOL0 input setting(*)
    33	Area sensor TOOL1 input setting(*)
    34	Area sensor TOOL2 input setting(*)
    35	Area sensor TOOL3 input setting(*)
    36	Area sensor monitoring area 0 disable input setting(*)
    37	Area sensor monitoring area 1 disable input setting(*)
    38	Area sensor monitoring area 2 disable input setting(*)
    39	Area sensor monitoring area 3 disable input setting(*)
    40	Area sensor monitoring disable input setting(*)
    41	Area sensor SS1 input setting(*)
    42	Area sensor Safe Homing input setting(*)

    
    (*) Available only when the model of engine board mounted in the robot controller is "E"
  • Power-supply to the safety sensor should be supplied from the power-supply unit of Mini I/O and Motion I/O.
  • The number of connecting pins which allocates to respective sensor-connectable-input is 4. Two pins are used for each one line in order to connect a contact to dual lines. If you connect the safety sensor, connect only one pin per one line, and let the other pins OPEN.
    For example, if you connect the safety sensor to SS2, the allocated pins are four pins as shown below. (See "Motion I/O Input Signal Pin Assignment")
    

    Port No.	Name	Port No.	Name
    1	SS2 input 1-1	35	SS2 input 1-2
    17	SS2 input 2-1	51	SS2 input 2-2

    
    For these four pins, the pin which connects the safety sensor is Line1, Port No. 35, and Line 2, Port No. 51. Port No. 1 and 17 is OPEN.
    Connecting pins can be distinguished by the names. The names of sensor-connectable-input are defined as follows:
    

    Signal name m-n

    
    "m" describes Line, "n" describes dividing of pins. Connect the safety sensor to the pin which is "n" = "2".
    For a specific example, see "Examples of Connection Circuit of Safety Sensor"
• Output signal of safety circuit outputs pulse, which reverses the state instantaneously, in order to check if the functions of devices can work normally. Thus the devices to be connected should be the ones which do not cause improper operation even if pulse outputs.
  List of output signals which output pulse and the specifications of pulse is as follows:
  Output signals of Motion I/O are all PNP type signals.
  
  • List of output signals which output pulse
    

    Signal name	Connector	Signal type
    Auto Mode Mutual Monitoring Output	Mini I/O	NPN type/PNP type (select one when you make an order of robot controller)
    SOS output	Motion I/O	PNP type only
    SLP output
    RSM1 output
    RSM2 output
    RSM 3 output
    RPM output
    Safe Reference Position Check Output

  • Pulse Specification
    

    Model (*1)	Output signal state	Pulse Specification
    N, 7	ON(*2)
    	OFF(*3)
    E、C	ON(*2)
    	OFF(*3)

    (*1) The model of engine board mounted in the robot controller
    (*2) Generate OFF-pulse when the output signal is ON
    (*3) Generate ON-pulse when the output signal is OFF

Examples of Connection Circuit of Safety Sensor

The following is examples of connection circuit

• Precondition
  
  • Power supply to Mini I/O, Motion I/O : the external power source
  • Connect the safety sensor to SS2, RSM1
• Examples of the connection circuit of the safety sensor
  
• Setting Parameters
  

  Operation path of WINCAPSIII: [Project] - [Parameter]- Safety
  No.	Name	Setting
  28	Area sensor SS2 input setting	1: Enable
  29	Area sensor RSM1 input setting	1: Enable
  30	Area sensor RSM2 input setting	0: Disable
  31	Area sensor RSM3 input setting	0: Disable

Precautions: When Sending "the necessary data for monitoring"

After you send "the necessary data for monitoring" to the robot controller, if you turn off the robot controller, wait for 10 seconds to turn OFF the power.

If you don't wait for 10 seconds, the error which tells that forwarding safety parameters uncompleted may occur, next time.

If an error occurs, re-send "the necessary data for monitoring" to the robot controller, and then wait for 10 seconds to turn OFF the power.

Precautions: When Using MC8A Safety Motion Specification

When using MC8A Safety Motion Specification, beware not only the above mentioned, but also the following matters.

• Robot Position Monitoring (RPM) is unable to use.
  You need to disable Monitoring Area Disable Input because Position Monitoring (RPM) is unable to use.
  First, execute [Project] - [Parameter] with WINCAPSIII, and Disable: 0 all the safety parameters of No.11-14(Monitoring area 0 -3 disable input setting), and then save the project. Next, send "the necessary data for monitoring" to the robot controller with RC8A Safety parameter tool, and then restart the robot controller.
• Do not create monitoring areas with WINCAPSIII.
  If you create monitoring areas with WINCAPSIII and execute [Monitoring area data output], (see "Creating and Saving Monitoring Models"), an error may occur as a result when opening the project with RC8A Safety parameter tool. If you execute [Monitoring area data output] by mistake, newly create the project again.