Soft Axis Limiting
Outline and Operation Patterns for Soft Axis Limiting
Soft Axis Limiting is a function that monitors the robot's joint operating range. If the system detects that either the rotation angle or vertical movement of an axis of the robot exceeded the motion range of an axis, the robot emergency stop and STO are executed and the robot is stopped. For details on the status, display, and notification of the Robot Controller when stopped by the safety function, refer to the following.
Precautions for Using the Robot Controller Safety Functions
Operation modes and enabling/disabling Soft Axis Limiting
When the operation mode is AUTO, TEST T1, or TEST T2, Soft Axis Limiting is always enabled.
When the operation mode is TEACH, Soft Axis Limiting is always disabled.
| Soft Axis Limiting | Enable or disable for each operation mode A: Always enable -: Always disable | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUTO | TEACH | TEST T1 | TEST T2 | |
| Standard functions | A | - | A | A |
Relationship between Soft Axis Limiting and the STO statement
If the system detects that either the rotation angle or vertical movement of an axis of the robot exceeded the motion range, the robot emergency stop and STO are immediately executed and the robot is stopped. For details on the status, display, and notification of the Robot Controller when stopped by the safety function, refer to the following.
Precautions for Using the Robot Controller Safety Functions
Manipulator Operating Range
With a SCARA Manipulator, Joint #1 (rotation), Joint #2 (rotation), Joint #3 (up/down), and Joint #4 (rotation) are all subject to monitoring by Soft Axis Limiting.
With a 6-Axis Manipulator, Joint #1 (rotation), Joint #2 (rotation), Joint #3 (rotation), Joint #4 (rotation), Joint #5 (rotation), and Joint #6 (rotation) are all subject to monitoring by Soft Axis Limiting.
The rotation angle or motion range for vertical motion of an axis of the robot can be set to a value at or below the pulse range set for each robot model. For details on the configurable pulse range, refer to the following manual.
"Manipulator Manual - Operation Area Settings"
Motion range settings are made in Safety Function Manager.
CAUTION
The operating range set in Safety Function Manager is not linked to the setting parameters set in the "Tool Settings" section of the "Epson RC+ User's Guide". Make sure that these settings are consistent.
When using the mechanical stop and Soft Axis Limiting together
When using only Soft Axis Limiting
WARNING
When designing a robot system and restricting the robot motion area, perform restrictions using Soft Axis Limiting or the mechanical stop. However, due to robot safety standard requirements, a single-axis mechanical stop cannot be replaced by Soft Axis Limiting. For details on restriction using a mechanical stop, refer to the following manual.
"Manipulator Manual"
If the robot speed is limited by the Safety Limited Speed (SLS), the restricted area can be determined based on the stopping distance calculated from the speed set by the Safety Limited Speed (SLS). If you are not using the Safety Limited Speed (SLS) function, determine the restricted area considering the stopping distance calculated from the robot's maximum speed.
When using the mechanical stop and Soft Axis Limiting together, there is no need to set the motion range considering the stopping distance, because the mechanical stop is the limit.
If using only the Soft Axis Limiting, set the motion range considering the stopping distance. For the stopping distance, refer to the following manual.
"Manipulator Manual - Appendix B: Stopping Time and Stopping Distance at Emergency Stop"