Igus Rebel
Interface to Igus iRC Robot Controllers
Last updated
Interface to Igus iRC Robot Controllers
Last updated
The Igus REBEL Interface in realvirtual.io is used to connect and control an Igus REBEL robotic arm with realvirtual.io.
The igus Robot Control Software (iRC) is freele available at https://www.igus.eu/automation/robot-control-system/robot-software.
igus Robot Control Software enables simple and intuitive robot programming and control systems, making it easy to get started with automation. Thanks to the modular structure, various robot kinematics, for example delta robots, linear robots and multi-axis robots can be controlled. The software can be used to simulate the individual movements of the robot on the 3D surface - the robot does not need to be connected for this step.
we deliver one example robot, the igus rebel but after the importing of the step data and definition of the kinematic and drives also all other Igus robots which can be controlled by the igus Robot Control Software can be simulated.
Active
Determines when the interface is active. Options include:
Always: The interface is active at all times.
Connected: Only active when realvirtual.io is in "Connected Mode"
Disconnected: The interface is only active in "Disconnected Mode"
Never: The interface is deactivated.
See more about the states here: https://doc.realvirtual.io/basics/runtime-ui#connection-status
Is Connected (Read Only)
Displays the current connection status to the Igus REBEL robot. If checked, the interface is connected to the robot.
Address
Specifies the IP address used to connect to the Igus REBEL controller. For local connections, use 127.0.0.1.
Port
The port number for connecting to the Igus REBEL robot. Default is usually 3921, but this can vary based on the setup.
Drives
Lists the individual drives (axes) of the Igus REBEL robot. Each drive corresponds to a specific axis (e.g., Axis1, Axis2, etc.). These drives can be configured to control the movement of each robot joint.
Num Outputs (Read Only)
Displays the number of output signals available for communication from the robot to realvirtual.
Num Inputs (Read Only)
Shows the number of input signals received from the robot from realvirtual.
The Igus REBEL Interface in realvirtual.io allows limited communication with the Igus REBEL robot controller, focusing on the use of Global Signals and Digital Outputs. Here’s how the signal assignment works.
Note: Digital Inputs on the Igus REBEL cannot be controlled directly from the simulation. These inputs are controlled by the robot controller and cannot be modified from within realvirtual.io. You must use Global Signals instead.
Global Signals: These signals serve as inputs to the robot controller and must be configured within the Igus robot controller software's Project Configuration.
Digital Outputs: These outputs are used as robot controller outputs, allowing the robot to send digital signals back to the simulation in realvirtual.io.
To use Global Signals as inputs, they must first be set up in the Project Configuration within the Igus robot controller software. Once configured, these inputs can be controlled from within realvirtual.io through the assigned PLCInputBool signals.
Signal Assignment Logic
The assignment of realvirtual.io signals to iRC (Igus Robot Controller) signals follows a specific order based on the hierarchy in realvirtual.io.
Digital Outputs (Dout): The outputs are assigned sequentially as they appear in the realvirtual.io hierarchy. For example:
The first PLCOutputBool in the hierarchy is mapped to Dout21.
The second PLCOutputBool is mapped to Dout22.
This sequence continues for all available outputs.
Global Signals (GSig): These serve as inputs to the robot controller and follow a similar order-based assignment:
The first PLCInputBool in the hierarchy is assigned to GSig1.
The second PLCInputBool is assigned to GSig2.
This sequence continues for all available Global Signal inputs.
