Comau Open Controller is an advanced proprietary software that enables external PCs to seamlessly control Comau robots using advanced control algorithms and innovative trajectory generation methods. With Comau Open Controller, users can achieve higher precision and efficiency in robot control, leading to improved productivity and reduced costs.
Comau’s Open approach offers enhanced control capabilities and further power to the Robot Control Unit, making it an ideal choice for universities, research centers, and innovative industries looking to implement their own motion strategy or algorithms to control a robot.
This new software can interact with standard control processes, allowing for seamless integration with external PCs and the use of additional control algorithms for more advanced control actions.
Comau’s Open Approach
Users can take advantage of cutting-edge technology to achieve superior robotic control, performance, and precision.
Thanks to its advanced technology, the robot can continue to function while the user communicate the desired modes to the Comau Open Controller. With that, users can easily switch between different modes without any disruptions. Furthermore, switching from one operative mode to another no longer requires turning off the motors.
This innovative feature can significantly enhance the robot’s performance, improving productivity. It is now possible to create a generic mixed trajectory:
Measures received by the PC (no commands sent by the PC)
target generated by the PC
position and; or velocity controlled by the PC
target or current corrected by the PC
sensor managed by the PC
Open Controller Key Features
OPEN: an external PC can directly manage the robot using a communication protocol to generate the trajectory and/or to drive current references
POWERFUL: a lot of operative modalities is supported without require robot stopping
EASY: PDL2 gives the possibility to use move instructions, system variables, signal and semaphores for concurrence programming, TCP/IP socket communications, I/O management
NEW: From the technologies implemented by industrial engineers to the methodologies studied by research people in order to enable rapid prototyping approach
CONTROLLER: Robustness and safety are guaranteed by classic supervising Comau Controller systems
Key Benefits
Have more computational power
Increase flexibility in getting information from external sensors and to implement
Vision Algorithms: Look & Move, Visual servoing
Interaction Algorithms: Force control, Impedance control
Comau Open Controller is a Comau product that gives the possibility to use additional control algorithms and novel trajectory generation methods implemented on external PC to control Comau robots
An external PC is needed and the minimum configuration is:– Linux-based RTOS 32/64bit – Memory: 4+GB RAM (system memory) – Cpu: 2 GHz dual core processor – Disk: SSD preferred – Network: Gigabit Ethernet Interface, direct connection On the External , for the connection with the Robot Controller, it’s possible to use ORL_driver (included in the “Light Open Kit and installable without additional license), or ORL_suite for cartesian functionalities and advanced communication management (need an additional license for every External PC)
Yes. The Safe functionalities will be active also during the Open Modalities, but, in order to avoid Safe Stop, it’s important that the user motion algorithm on the external PC will consider to not exceed the Safe Limitation
ORL stands for “Open Robot Library” and is the tool developed for the user-side rivedi The ORL family is made of three libraries: ORL Driver (ORLD), ORL Motion (ORLM) and ORL Suite (ORLS)
ORL Driver (ORLD), is the library in charge of synchronous and asynchronous communication with the CRC. This library enables for motion command at motor-level, and makes it possible to manage the controller functionalities such as modality change and frame setup. ORLDriver is available with CRCOpen ETH software Option and can be installed in all clients that want to communicate with the Comau Open controller
ORL Motion (ORLM), is the library that simulates CRC motion algorithms in an offline environment. It allows to generate trajectory on a virtual robot achieving the same results of the standard PDL2 environment. This library need to be enabled with a specific license and it is for a single user/PC
ORL Suite (ORLS), a library built on top of both ORLDriver and ORLMotion, which provides high level functionalities for a user-friendly employment of CRCOpen. Thanks to the integration with ORL Motion, it allows you to make all the conversions necessary to operate in Deg/Radians at the Link, or directly in Cartesian
The communication is based on standard IPv4 TCP/UDP ethernet protocol communication. Thus, the two systems have to be connected by an ethernet cable and set up in a shared subnet
The Comau Open Controller aims for real-time control applications development and prototyping. It does require a real-time operating system in order to work
C5GOpen is deployed as a C library and it does not require PDL2 in order to work. However, a sound knowledge of the Comau Robot Controller programming language enables for a better understanding of the Comau robots motion mechanics and serves for finer integration between the Open algorithms and the standard ones
The switching from an operative mode to another one does not require turning off the motors. The robot can continue to work properly and the user has to communicate to Comau Open Controller only the mode which he wants to use. In this way it’s very easy to create a generic mixed trajectory
