Using Multi TCP (MT) Jogging

When you define Robot Simulation, you need to position a robot and product appropriately. This is a repetitive process with a number of small adjustments. During this process, one of the most important constraints is the reachability of a robot to a target Weld Tag or Fastener on a target product. By utilizing this, you can efficiently analyze the position of a robot itself, that of a target Weld Tag, or that of a product having a Weld Tag under a constraint where a robot or IK device needs to reach the Weld Tag
  This procedure describes how to efficiently analyze the position of a robot itself, that of a target Weld Tag, or that of a product having a Weld Tag under a constraint where one or more robots or IK devices need to reach the Weld Tags, while you can see the changed state in real time.
 
 

Single Robot Scenario

The images used as examples in this procedure were generated using the file BodySide_Mirror1.CATProcess.

  1. Click MT Jog Device  , and select a Device.

    The dialog box appears.

    Note that the MT jogging is purely an IK jogging.  So Immediate button is always checked and the button is disabled.

  2. Select a tag. The robot moves to the tag.  The Degrees of each joint are displayed in the DOF Controls section.  The Applicative frame is also updated with the tag that was selected.

     

  3. Select the Compass (which is now on the robot base) and move it. This allows you to move the robot, while the end effector stays in position on the tag.

    • If required select another tag from the list.  The robot snaps to this location.
    • When the robot is unreachable to this tag, it turns colors. Move the robot again to bring it into a reachable area.
    • For more scenario's see Supporting Multiple devices.

  4. When completed, clicking on the Close button in the dialog box, the MT Jog command dialog box is closed, and the command button becomes inactive, and the modified position of product/device/weld tag are saved.

Supporting Multiple Devices
By moving target tags or the table they adhered to, all related IK devices can adjust postures in real time. As shown below, each robot has a corresponding target tag to track. When moving the table, all robots can adjust posture at real time.



This also shows status of a robot (at lower right corner) turned to reachable after moving the table.

  1. Click MT Jog Device  , and select a robot. In this scenario we selected Robot_A.

    The dialog box appears.

    Clicking on another Robot, the current robot’s Jog panel is hidden, and the currently selected robot’s Jog panel comes up.

  2. A Representation to show that the robot is participating in MT Jog can be seen near the mount location of the robot that is participating in MT Jog and its Jog Panel is not active.

  3. There are five selections possible after the MT Jog panel is visible:
     
    Select nothing
    (if MT-Jog button is OFF)
    • You can simply move the compass to do IK jogging, and the 3D manipulator to do IK jogging or you can use both Joint Frame and Cartesian Frame. It is same as a usual Jog command.
    • Compass position – At TCP
    Selection of MT-Jog check button
    • If this MT-Jog check button is ON (by default it is ON), then the compass is snapped to the robot base and moving the compass enables the tracking of a TCP.
    • Compass position – At Robot Base
    Selection of Tag
    • Selection of Tag with MT-Jog ON
      • The target tag combo is updated with the selected tag and the mode is tag tracking where the compass is snapped to the robot base. You can MT-Jog where the target is fixed to the selected Tag.
      • Compass Position – At Robot Base

    • Selection of Tag with MT-Jog OFF
      • The compass is snapped to the tag and robot tries to reach the tag. You can do regular jogging. When the compass is moved, the tag point will also move along with the compass and robot tries to reach the tag.
      • If there are multiple robots are paired with a same tag, then all the paired robots will try to reach the moving tag.
      • Compass position – At Tag
    Selection of another robot
    • Previous selected robot’s MT Jog panel is hidden and current selected robot’s Jog panel appears. There will be a 3D visualization at the mount location to signify the selected robot is participating in the MT-Jog.
    • The same tags can be paired with multiple robots.
    • Compass is snapped to the robot base or the TCP based on MT-Jog check button.

      

    Selection of a product containing target tags
    • The compass is snapped to the selected product. If the product is moved using the compass, all the participating robots are tracking their respective moving targets which may move along with the product movement.
    • Compass position – At product origin

    The Cartesian controls are disabled when MT-Jog option is checked to avoid any simultaneous manipulation of Robot TCP.

       

  4. Exit MT Jog. Close the Jog panel or click on the command again to exit MT Jog command. The modified position of product/device/weld tag is saved. The settings stay in memory for next launched MT Jog command to work as start point, and won’t be released until the session window is closed.