What do we often refer to as integrated drive and control hardware?
The drive control of industrial robots includes the connection between the robot's drive system and control system, which are two independent systems that respectively undertake the core functions of power transmission and motion control. Driver integrated hardware refers to a solution that integrates drives and controllers on a single hardware platform, aimed at improving the performance, efficiency, and flexibility of industrial robots.
Its main physical hardware can be visually seen as a driver integrated control cabinet, plus a teaching pendant. It looks very simple. Actually, there is a main entrance inside.
1. Control cabinet
The small body of the control cabinet accommodates the control system of the robot, which is the brain command center of the robot. It is responsible for centralized management of power supply, signal processing, and motion control, and is an indispensable component of the robot system.
The core function is to coordinate the movements of each axis through the main controller, process input/output signals (such as servo drives, sensor data), and integrate power management modules (such as 220V AC power supply, 380V power supply).
It is worth mentioning that the parameters of the control cabinet vary for robots of different brands, models, and specifications.
Next, let's take a look at its appearance.
Front of the electrical control cabinet:
(1) Power switch: controls the power on/off status of the device.
(2) Status indicator light: used to display the operating status of the device. For example, the front of the Braun electric control cabinet has operation indicator lights: green light represents normal operation, orange light represents stop, and red light represents alarm.
(3) Emergency stop output button: The emergency stop button is the core component for safe operation. When pressed, it immediately cuts off the servo drive and motor power supply, which means that all axes are locked to ensure the emergency stop of the robot.
(4) Power input interface: The power input interface is usually located at the bottom or side of the control cabinet and is used to connect external power sources.
(5) Brand nameplate: The nameplate of the electrical control cabinet usually indicates the brand name, specifications of the robotic arm, production date, and other information. The nameplate of the Braun electric control cabinet clearly states the name, specifications, number, production date, voltage, current and other parameters of the robotic arm. The nameplate is equivalent to the robot's ID card and is consistent with the nameplate of the robot body, making it convenient for after-sales inquiry and tracking.
Inside the electrical control cabinet
(1) Power module: Convert the main power supply (such as 220V) into the DC voltage required by the control system (such as 24V) to ensure the normal operation of various modules (such as controllers, servo drivers, IO modules, etc.).
(2) Servo module: provides driving power for servo motors and controls them to send and receive position commands.
(3) IO module: Braun's IO module can control 32 sets of inputs and outputs, used to process the input and output of external signals such as sensors and actuators.
Inside the left side
The left side has a cooling fan, does it look very similar to a computer host. The other is a filter, mainly used to purify the power supply and prevent electromagnetic interference from entering the device or introducing interference from the power cord.
Inside the right side
On the right side, there are two power supplies and a brake relay board. The power supplies are responsible for providing stable DC power to the control cabinet and supporting the operation of various functional modules; The brake relay board achieves rapid braking of the motor through electromagnetic control, jointly ensuring the safety and reliability of industrial robots during operation and shutdown.
Behind the control cabinet:
(1) IO interface and backup IO interface:
IO interfaces are used for signal interconnection with external devices such as PLCs, sensors, relays, solenoid valves, etc. The backup IO interface is usually located on the back of the electrical cabinet and needs to be used after removing the rubber cover to expand external signal input and output requirements. Some electrical control cabinets also provide local IO and remote IO modules, supporting flexible expansion.
(2) External serial port: The purpose is to connect with other robots, achieve data exchange and collaborative control.
(3) Ethernet port: used to connect external Ethernet devices.
(4) Teaching pendant interface: The teaching pendant interface is used to connect the teaching pendant and achieve human-computer interaction functions, including manual/automatic operation, trajectory recording, programming, and status display.
(5) Encoding line power line interface: used to connect the absolute encoder of the robot body, transmitting position data to ensure motion accuracy. The power line interface is connected to the servo motor power line to drive the robot to perform movements.
2. Teaching pendant
The bare machine of a robot consists of three parts: the robot body, the control cabinet, and the teaching pendant. The teaching pendant sends human language instructions to the control cabinet, which then receives and translates the signals to the robot body before completing a task.
A teaching pendant, which can be understood as a game controller, is an important control and human-computer interaction device for industrial robots. It is usually a handheld device used to implement robot programming, data storage, operation, parameter configuration, and status monitoring.
Teaching pendant, left rear
Having a USB interface, mainly used for data transfer, program backup and update operations.
Right rear enable button
The key safety device that controls the motion state of the robot must press the enable button in manual mode to release the motor brake, allowing the robot to move. The enabling buttons for different brands of switches are also different. There are two position switches and three position selection switches. Pressing to the middle position releases the brake, while releasing or pressing to the bottom closes the brake and locks the robot. The enable button controls whether the robot is in an operable state through gear switching, ensuring the safety of the operator.
Front of teaching pendant
The key above can switch the working state of the robot, which generally has three states: automatic state, manual state, and stop state. Robots in different states can perform different operations, and generally have different brands and operations.
The red button next to it is the emergency stop button. Sometimes our operation is rushed and we may make mistakes accidentally. At this time, as long as we open the emergency stop button, the robot's axes can be locked to prevent danger.
Next to it is the fine-tuning button, which can fine tune the coordinates of the robot.
Spinner
On the left side are function buttons, including start button, stop button, world coordinate and joint coordinate switching commonly used by robots, reset button (the button to restore the robot to the standby point), and axis acceleration and deceleration button.
The signal binding shortcut button below can be used to quickly define functions.
On the right is the axis button, which can control the direction and posture of different axes of the robot. Generally, our six axis robot will use j1-j6, while j7 and j8 help us control additional axes.
Due to the fact that the bare machine of the robot itself includes the body, control cabinet, and teaching pendant, which appear to be three independent parts, it is necessary to connect them together, which is the first step in installing the robot.
Write it down and see how the robot is installed.
Step 1: Connect the base at the bottom of the robot
Determine the base position according to the drawing, fix it on the ground and ensure its levelness. Install support columns or base plates, reserve installation holes, and clean the surface of the base.
Step 2: Connect the overload connection to complete the connection between the robot and the control cabinet.
Below the robot body, there is a cold press needle protective cover that needs to be opened before installing the wire, and then the heavy-duty connecting wire needs to be connected to the robot body. This step completes the connection of the robot to the control cabinet.
Step 3: Connect the teaching pendant and control cabinet through the teaching pendant connection wire.
Step 4: To prevent electric shock, connect the neutral, live, and ground wires of the control cabinet to the corresponding circuits. This completes the connection of the robot body, control cabinet, and teaching pendant.
The framework of the robot is completed, and then it is reset according to the program to check the zero point scale lines of each axis of the robot, ensuring that the robot data is normal. The next step is how to program the robot according to the desired job program.