Drive Position Switch

This feature was added in realvirtual 6.0.9 beta

Overview

The Drive Position Switch component controls a boolean PLC signal based on the drive's position. It monitors one or more position ranges and activates an output signal when the drive enters any of these areas. The component fully supports both linear and rotational drives, including drives with wrap-around behavior (e.g., 0-360° rotational drives).

This component is particularly useful for creating position-dependent logic in automation systems, such as activating sensors, triggering actions at specific zones, or creating safe areas on linear or rotational axes.

Key Features

Multiple Position Areas - Define multiple ranges where the signal should be active
OR Logic - Signal activates when drive is in ANY defined area
Area Inversion - Optionally define areas as "false zones" instead of "true zones"
Position Offset - Apply a global offset to the drive position before checking areas
Wrap-Around Support - Automatic detection and handling of rotational drives with position wrapping
Wrapped Areas - Support for areas that wrap around limits (e.g., 350-10° on a 0-360° drive)

Properties

Position Areas

Areas (list) A list of position ranges that control the output signal. Each area has:

Name - Descriptive name for the area
Start Position - Beginning of the range in millimeters or degrees
End Position - End of the range in millimeters or degrees

When the drive position is within ANY of these areas, the output signal is set to true (OR logic). For rotational drives with wrapping enabled, areas can wrap around the limits by setting Start Position > End Position (e.g., 350-10 on a 0-360° drive).

Settings

Invert Areas (boolean) When enabled, the defined areas become "false zones" instead of "true zones". The output signal is false when inside areas and true when outside all areas. This is useful for defining exclusion zones or safe areas.

Position Offset (float) A global offset in millimeters or degrees applied to the drive's current position before checking areas. For drives with wrapping enabled, the offset is automatically normalized to stay within the drive's limits. This allows you to shift all areas without modifying each individual area range.

PLC IOs

Output Signal (PLCInputBool) The boolean signal sent to the PLC. This signal is true when the drive position (after applying offset) is within any defined area, or inverted if Invert Areas is enabled. Connect this to your PLC logic or other components that need position-based triggering.

Usage

Basic Position Switch

To create a simple position switch that activates in specific zones:

Add a Drive component to a GameObject
Add the Drive Position Switch component to the same GameObject
In the Inspector, expand the Areas list and click the + button
Set Start Position and End Position for your desired activation zone
Add a PLCInputBool signal or connect the Output Signal to your logic
The signal will be true when the drive is within the defined range

Multiple Zones

To activate the signal in multiple separate zones:

Add multiple elements to the Areas list
Configure each area with different Start and End positions
The output will be true if the drive is in ANY of the defined areas (OR logic)

Example: Activate signal at positions 100-150mm and 300-350mm:

Area 1: Start=100, End=150
Area 2: Start=300, End=350

Rotational Drives with Wrap-Around

For rotational drives that jump from upper to lower limit (e.g., 360° to 0°):

Ensure your Drive has Use Limits enabled and Jump To Lower Limit On Upper Limit enabled
Create areas that can wrap around limits by setting Start Position > End Position
The component automatically detects and handles wrapped areas

Example: Activate between 350° and 10° on a 0-360° drive:

Area: Start=350, End=10
Signal will be true from 350° to 360° AND from 0° to 10°

Safe Zones with Area Inversion

To define safe zones where the signal is false (and true everywhere else):

Enable Invert Areas checkbox
Define areas where you want the signal to be FALSE
The output will be true when OUTSIDE all defined areas

Example: Create a safe zone from 100-200mm where output is false:

Enable Invert Areas
Area: Start=100, End=200
Result: Signal is false from 100-200mm, true everywhere else

Position Offset

Use position offset to shift the coordinate system without modifying all areas:

Set Position Offset to your desired offset value
The drive's position is adjusted before checking areas
For wrapping drives, the offset is automatically normalized

Example: Check if drive is at position 0-50mm with 100mm offset:

Area: Start=0, End=50
Position Offset: 100
Result: Signal is true when drive is at -100 to -50mm (adjusted to 0-50mm)