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Table of Contents

ATS AFR Tool

Interfaces to the ATS AFR Tool.

Library

QUARC Applications/ATS

MATLAB Command Line

Click to copy the following command line to the clipboard. Then paste it in the MATLAB Command Window:

qc_open_library('quarc_library_applications/ATS')

Description

ATS AFR Tool

The ATS AFR Tool block sends position or velocity commands to each axis of the ATS AFR Tool and receives positions, velocities and torques as well as sundry status flags for each of the 19 axes. It can also interface to a simulation of the AFR Tool implemented using the AFR Tool Simulation block.

Input Ports

mode

A 19-element vector representing the mode of each axis. The valid modes are shown in the table below:

Axis Mode

Description

0

Do not move this axis.

1

Control the velocity of this axis. The velocity is determined by the vel input. The velocity may be positive or negative.

2

Control the position of this axis. The position is determined by the pos input. The maximum velocity used to reach the commanded position is determined by the vel input. In this case, the maximum velocity must be positive.

pos

A 19 element vector of position setpoints for each axis that is used in position control mode (axis mode 2). For those axes that are not in position mode, the corresponding element is ignored.

vel

A 19 element vector of velocity setpoints for each axis that is used in velocity control mode (axis mode 1). This vector determines the maximum velocity in position control mode (axis mode 2). For those axes that are not in position or velocity mode, the corresponding element is ignored.

reset

A 19 element vector of reset flags. If any element is non-zero then the corresponding axis is reset.

cls

Used to close the connection to the PLC. Setting this input to a non-zero value will cause the connection to be closed. The connection will remain closed as long as this input is non-zero. When this input is zero or false, then a new connection will be established. The connection will be maintained as long as this input is zero.

Output Ports

pos

A 19-element double vector containing the actual absolute position of each axis.

vel

A 19-element double vector containing the actual velocity of each axis.

trq

A 19-element double vector containing the actual torque for each axis.

en

A 19-element boolean vector indicating whether each axis is enabled. A non-zero value means the corresponding axis is enabled. A zero value indicates the axis is disabled.

flt

A 19-element boolean vector indicating whether there has been a fault for an axis. A non-zero value means the corresponding axis has experienced a fault. A zero value indicates the axis is operating normally.

rdy

A 19-element boolean vector indicating whether each axis is ready for a command. A non-zero value means the corresponding axis is ready. A zero value indicates the axis is not ready.

busy

A 19-element boolean vector indicating whether each axis is busy performing a command. A non-zero value means the corresponding axis is still executing the last command. A zero value indicates the axis is not busy. For velocity commands, this flag will always be 1 since the axis continues moving. For position commands, it will go to zero when the position setpoint is reached.

done

A 19-element boolean vector indicating whether each axis is busy performing a command. A non-zero value means the corresponding axis has completed the last command. A zero value indicates the axis is not done. For velocity commands, this flag never goes high. For position commands, it goes high when the position setpoint is reached.

beat

A boolean value representing the heartbeat received from the PLC. This signal can be monitored to determine whether the PLC is still alive.

new

A boolean value indicating whether the outputs are new since the last execution of the block.

err

An int32 error code indicating if any error occurred with regards to the connection to the PLC. If there are no errors with the connection then this output will be zero. Otherwise another negative error code is returned. See Error Codes for the different error codes and their values. Use the Compare to Error block rather than the error code itself to check for specific error codes.

The cls input may be used to close the connection and re-open it in the event of an error, to ensure a persistent connection.

Parameters and Dialog Box

ATS AFR Tool

URI (tunable offline)

The URI identifying the PLC or simulation to which to connect. This parameter identifies the communication protocol and associated parameters. If the s7 protocol is used then it communicates with a PLC or the AFR Tool Simulation block. Otherwise it only communicates with a simulation based on the AFR Tool Simulation block.

For the s7 protocol, the URI takes the form:

s7://host?rack=R,slot=S

where the components are as follows:

Component

Description

host

The hostname or IP address of the PLC eg. 192.168.0.100.

R

The rack number of the PLC. The rack number is typically zero.

S

The slot number of the PLC. The slot number is typically zero.

A typical s7 URI is: s7://192.168.0.100?rack=0,slot=0.

When interfacing to a simulation of the AFR tool, the tcpip protocol may also be used. For example: tcpip://localhost:18000. The hostname and port must match the hostname and port associated with the simulation (see the AFR Tool Simulation block).

Data block number (tunable offline)

The data block (DB) number of the memory in the PLC with which the block is communicating. This number is defined by the PLC program running on the PLC.

Sample time

The sample time of the block. A sample time of 0 indicates that the block will be treated as a continuous time block. A positive sample time indicates that the block is a discrete time block with the given sample time.

A sample time of -1 indicates that the block inherits its sample time.

The default sample time is set to qc_get_step_size * ceil(0.020 / qc_get_step_size) which is an expression that returns the closest integer multiple of the fixed step size of the model to 20 ms.

Active during normal simulation (tunable offline)

Indicates whether this block should communicate during normal simulation.

Targets

Target Name

Compatible*

Model Referencing

Comments

QUARC Win32 Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Win64 Target

Yes

Yes

Fully supported, including the s7 protocol.

QUARC Linux Nvidia Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Linux QBot Platform Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Linux QCar 2 Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Linux QDrone 2 Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Linux Raspberry Pi 3 Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Linux Raspberry Pi 4 Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Linux RT ARMv7 Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Linux x64 Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Linux DuoVero Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Linux DuoVero 2016 Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC Linux Verdex Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

QUARC QNX x86 Target

Yes

Yes

Last fully supported in QUARC 2018.

Rapid Simulation (RSIM) Target

Yes

Yes

Only simulation is supported.

S-Function Target

No

N/A

Old technology. Use model referencing instead.

Normal simulation

Yes

Yes

Fully supported, including the s7 protocol.

* Compatible means that the block can be compiled for the target.

 

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