About Sensors

Sensors detect the movement of specific objects through a defined space (a line, plane, or 3D geometric volume) during the simulation of a manufacturing cell. They can be configured to emit output signals that are filtered based on specific criteria on detection.

Important:

Sensor detection is activated when a program is running at the cell level. Running a stand-alone robot task does not activate the sensor.

This page discusses:

See Also
Creating a Beam Sensor
Creating a Plane Sensor
Creating a Volume Sensor

Basic Concepts

A sensor is a resource that has its own position within the Manufacturing cell.



Sensor behavior contains the geometry specification of the sensor. Geometry position is relative to the sensor itself.

Table 1. Inputs and Outputs of a Sensor
Inputs Outputs
  • Position
  • Detection geometry
  • Frequency
  • Detection filter (moving/workpiece/object types)
  • Input signal to control sensor activation
 Detection signal
  • Detection signal
  • Specific object attributes
  • Distance: detected distance from source

Sensor Types

Different shapes of detection indicate the type of sensor required. The following sensor types are supported.

Beam Sensor

The Beam sensor type is represented by a single line. It detects any objects that cross the defined line.

Beam sensors can address basic scenarios with a singe ray, and can be extended for limit switches.

Plane Sensor

The Plane sensor type is represented by a 2D plane. Supported shapes include Circle, Triangle, and Rectangle.

Volume Sensor

The Volume sensor type is represented by a 3D shape. Supported shapes include Cone, Pyramid, Spherical, and Cylindrical.

Sensor Filtering

Filters allow you to control when an output signal needs to be emitted, depending on the sensed objects. When a filter is defined, objects colliding with the geometry and complying with the filter are considered detected and output signals are emitted.

Filtering is based on:

  • Moving objects only
  • Object attributes
Table 2. Filtering Capabilites
Attribute type Operator
String
  • Contains
  • Equals
  • Different
Integer/Double/Dimension
  • Equals
  • Different
  • (equal or) greater than
  • (equal or) less than
  • Ranges

Sensor Output

A sensor can emit multiple signals on detection:

  • Default signal: Indicates when an object is detected.
  • Clearance signal: When defined, if the object is detected within the related clearance zone, the related clearance signal is emitted.
  • Advanced signal: When detecting certain parts with the filter, the detected attributes can be output as specific signals. You can also output a distance signal.

Signals are monitored in real time as the simulation is played: