Master-Control Communication Setup

This guide introduces how to setup master-control communication for a DENSO robot.

Preparation

Check Controller and Software Versions

Controller model: RC8, RC8A, or RC9
Controller software: 2.15.0 (other versions unknown)
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1. Press Setting System Info on the teach pendant.
2. Check Controller type and Controller software.

Download Robot Software

Visit the official website of DENSO robotics on the IPC, and download and install the robot software WINCAPSⅢ as prompted. After you install WINCAPSⅢ, double-click WINCAPSⅢ to open the software.

Set up the Network Connection

Plug the Ethernet cable into the controller’s Ethernet interface to connect the IPC and the robot controller.
Check the robot’s IP address and make sure it is on the same subnet as the IPC.
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1. On the teach pendant, tap Setting Communication and Token Network and Permission .
2. In the Communicate Settings window, select Ethernet in the Device area, and view the IP Address and Subnet mask in the Setting area.
If the IP addresses of the robot and the IPC are in different subnets, modify the IPC’s IP address.

Obtain Control of the Robot

After completing configurations of this section, Mech-Mind Vision System will gain control of the robot and will be able to master-control the robot.

Modify Robot Program (Only required by RC9 controller)

By default, the programs provided by Mech-Vision and Mech-Viz only support the RC8 controller. If you are using an RC9 controller, please modify the program files according to the instructions below.

On the IPC, go to Mech-Center\Robot_Server\src\robot\denso from the installation directory of Mech-Vision & Mech-Viz, and you will see the following files:
- __init__
- cao_controller
- denso_robot
- denso_robot_adapter
Open the denso_robot_adapter file, change RC8 to RC9, and save the modification.
Open the cao_controller file, change RC8 to RC9, and save the modification.

Transfer Robot Control

Please transfer the robot control to Mech-Viz according to the instructions below.

Tap Settings Communication and Start Control Start Control on the teach pendant.
In the Start Control Settings window, change the IP address of Ethernet1 to the IPC’s IP address.
Turn the mode key of the teach pendant to the automatic mode to later test the master-control communication between the robot and IPC.

Test Master-Control Communication

Create a Mech-Viz Project

Open Mech-Viz, press Ctrl+N on the keyboard to create a new project. Select the robot model corresponding to your real robot brand and model on the interface as shown below.
Press Ctrl+S and create or select a folder to save the project.
Right-click the project name in the left panel in Mech-Viz and select Autoload Project.

Connect to the Robot

Click Master-Control Robot on the toolbar of Mech-Viz.
Input the IP address of the real robot in Robot IP address (the IP address in the picture is only an example). Click Connect the robot.

If Mech-Viz successfully connects the real robot, the current status will change to Connected. Meanwhile, the icon in the toolbar will turn from blue to green.

If the connection fails, please double-check the robot IP address.

Move the Robot

In the toolbar of Mech-Viz, change the Vel. (velocity) and Acc. (acceleration) parameters to 5%.
Click Sync Robot in the toolbar, and you can synchronize the poses of the simulated robot in the 3D simulation space with the poses of the real robot. Then click Sync Robot again to unselect it.
In the Robot tab, slightly adjust the value of J1, for example, from 0˚ to 3˚. This operation will move the simulated robot.
Click Move real robot and check if the real robot has moved. If the real robot has reached the joint positions set for the simulated robot, the master-control communication is working.

When moving the robot, please ensure the safety of personnel. In the case of an emergency, press the emergency stop button on the teach pendant!

After Mech-Viz successfully established master-control communication with the robot, the velocity of the robot shown on the teach pendant will be reset to 100%. To ensure safety, remember to reduce the velocity on the teach pendant.
In the scenario where Mech-Mind Vision System master-controls a DENSO robot, after Sync Robot is executed in Mech-Viz, the joint positions of the simulating robot in Mech-Viz might all be updated to 0. To resolve this issue, disconnect the master-control communication on Mech-Viz, and then reconnect it.