Pally v3.3

Released Apr 22, 2024

This new release includes several improvements and bugfixes. Please read the compatibility notes before upgrading existing installations.

New features

Imperial Units on the Operator Interface

Now it is possible to choose between metric and imperial measurement system. This can be done together with the Operator Language selection in Program - Pally - Advanced - Operator. The pallet and product dimensions of all patterns will appear in the selected measurement system, regardless of the the settings that were used in Myrobot.Cloud when the pattern was created.

Pallet Calibration Adjustments wizard

Now it is possible to adjust existing pallet calibrations by one click! Move the pallet reference points in any direction, rotate and tilt the pallet level by any angle. Just go to Program - Pally - Pallet - start the wizard and follow the instructions.

Important bugfixes

• Fixed an issue where the URCap failed with 'null pointer exception' when installing a new license

• Fixed an issue where the program rejected a new license with 'license issue date is in the future' error

• Fixed an issue where deleting a pattern did not delete the corresponding pattern verification data files

• Fixed an issue where some options such as Show Mode were not selectable after installing a license

• Fixed an issue where the foamHeight value was not imported properly from a gripper.json

• Fixed an issue in the Calibration Test Wizard where the robot stopped with 'Joint Position close to limit: Wrist3' error

Other improvements

• Added InstanceId variable to all callbacks to access Pallet Manager daemon instances in Dual Product Mode

• Added Unigripper Colight Mini and Maxi into supported gripper types

• Gripper weight is now editable for all gripper types

• Offline copy of the User manual removed, QR code and link to the online KB added

• When selecting custom gripper, some experimental features that are not relevant for custom grippers are deactivated

• Minor improvement in the return path optimizer

• Program startup time improved by 40%

Pally v3.2

Released Sep 18, 2022

This new release focuses on making the installation and troubleshooting process easier.

New features

Gripper layout visualizer

The new Gripper layout visualizer tool provides an illustration of what the robot thinks about the gripper. Especially for multi-zone custom grippers that are defined by a gripper.json file, this tool will help understand possible configuration errors. Each vacuum zone is displayed in a different color, and the TCP offsets and rotations are shown relative to the robot tool flange.

Easy license handling

Now it is possible to inspect the license contents before uploading. The program will check the license contents and display a warning if the license on the USB is not appropriate for any reason.

Pattern verification warning before Active Plan expires

The robot program can now check all existing pallet patterns and inform the user about patterns that haven't been completely tested. This process will automatically run at the first program start every day when the Active Plan expires within 30 days.

Warning on the Program Node before Active Plan or License expires

The program node will display a warning already 30 days before the active plan or the whole license expires.

New logic for lost vacuum signal

The logic for lost vacuum signal has been completely redesigned. The program will no longer repeat the last unsuccessful box position automatically without user action.

Important bug fixes

• More accurate error messages when a position cannot be palletized.

• Bug fixes related to virtualized simulation environments.

Other improvements

• Added a reminder on the Patterns page to test new patterns after uploading.

• Rewritten a text on the Gripper page, describing how and when to use a custom TCP.

• Added a new boolean variable rf_gripper_align_to_edges to enable or disable gripper-to-box edge alignment for large grippers.

• Added a new boolean variable rf_allow_same_pattern to allow palletizing the same pattern on both pallets in Dual Product mode.

• Now it possible to change the pallet center reference point by using the following statement in the beforePallet callback:
  palletmanager_daemon.write_key_value_static(str_cat("center_of_pallet_", PalletNr), new_center)
  This makes it possible to switch between multiple pallet calibrations.

Pally v3.1

Released May 12, 2022

New features

Easy path planning

Now it is possible to get suggestions for path planning settings such as smart exit, based on the current calibration points.

• When the new "Easy path planning" checkbox is selected, the path planning settings are no longer visible and the program will use default values that fit best to the actual setup.

• By pressing the new button "Get path planning suggestions" the suggested path planning settings become visible and manually editable.

• The drop-down list called "Load defaults for conveyor orientation" is no longer relevant and has been completely removed.

Finish the current pallet, proceed to the next pallet

Two small new icons have been added to the Operator Panel in order to finish the current pallet immediately, regardless of the number of boxes remaining. The buttons terminate the current pallet through updating the corresponding rf_P1_terminate and rf_P2_terminate variables.

Pause and Stop buttons on the Operator Panel

In Polyscope version 5.13 and later, the play, pause, and stop buttons have been moved to another location, which is completely covered by the Pally Operator Panel. As a workaround, a new pause and stop button has been added to the Operator Panel.

Compatibility with Polyscope 6

This release will be compatible with Polyscope 6 and UR20 (a separate URCapX file will be provided)

Important bug fixes

• Fixed an issue where patterns with whitespace in the name were not transferred from USB.

• Fixed an issue where subfolders with whitespace in the name were not included in the full backup.

Other improvements

• Calibration Test Wizard improvements

Pally v3.0.1

Released Feb 14, 2023

This is a bugfix release that does not include any new features.

Important bug fixes

• Fixed an issue where palletizing stopped with “unable to find collision free path”

• Fixed an issue where some test and demo licenses were not properly recognized

• Fixed an issue where changes were not properly detected in pattern files with whitespace in the file name

Other improvements

• POP layout changed to have enough more room for the OEM logo

• Minor text corrections and text formatting changes in license related operations

• Added some logging into the calibration test wizard

Pally v3.0

Released Jan 10, 2023

New features

Verified patterns, offline path storage

Now it is possible to store all waypoints of the robot path for each box position, allowing the user to freely adjust any path planning parameters between different patterns. Stored waypoints will also improve stability and repeatability after software upgrades. A pattern that has been once tested and verified will be no longer affected by future changes in the program.

The program creates a database of all waypoints for each pattern for each pallet for each pickup for each box position while palletizing for the first time. The stored waypoints are then reused next time when palletizing the same pallet. This will improve repeatability, for example, after changing path planning parameters or upgrading to a newer Pally version. Using different smart exit parameters for each pattern is now possible.

The integrator can get an overview of the waypoint database status in a new tab “Verified patterns” under Program Pally Advanced. The database status can be one of the following:

• Offline path storage is not available or not valid for this pattern

• Partly tested with other calibration parameters. (Cached waypoints may require further testing with another URP program.)

• Fully tested with other calibration parameters. (Cached waypoints can't be used with this URP program, but may be used with another one.)

• Partly tested with this calibration (Test in progress? Cached waypoints will be used where available, but further testing is requred.)

• Fully tested with other path planning parameters. (Cached waypoints will be used by this URP program for all box positions.)

• Fully tested with the current path planning parameters. (Cached waypoints will be used by this URP program for all box positions.)

A pattern is considered verified if the corresponding path storage database contains all the necessary waypoints to palletize full pallet(s) from one or two pickup positions, according to the current setup:

• If both left and right pallets are enabled, both must be tested, and

• If both primary and secondary pick positions are enabled, both must be tested.

The integrator can decide to continue testing an incomplete storage, or clear the current waypoints and start testing the pattern again.

COMPATIBILITY NOTE: If a Service and Support Plan subscription expires, the program will no longer calculate any new waypoints. Patterns that are not fully verified will fail with error code 2023.

Order management, a.k.a. multiple partial pallets

It is now possible to create a list of multiple full- and partial pallets (referred as orders) that the program will palletize. In Dual Product Mode, separate lists for the primary and secondary conveyor can be created.

The list of orders can be created by the operator manually on the Partial Pallet screen, or via new API functions of the Pallet Manager daemon:

• insert_order

• update_order

• delete_order

• clear_orders

• etc.

Linak ELEVATE lifting columns

Linak ELEVATE Easy, Pro, and MODBUS lifting columns are now natively supported.

Operator interface in Swedish

Product Selection and Operator Panel is now available in Swedish.

New file backup

File backup has a new option. It is possible to only backup the active installation and program file. Additionally license related files are backed up. These files are bundled in a zip-folder.
Physical calibration data is now included in the backup file. This will improve simulation accuracy in MyRobotCloud.

Safety settings

The Pally safety settings are now limited by the general safety settings - the maximum speed cannot be higher than allowed by the safety system.

New license handling

It is now possible to terminate both the Service and Support Plan and the whole Pally license. These options are available in the License tab of the installation node.

Termination will add the robot serial number to a blacklist with a flag indicating the level of termination. The list is copied to an inserted USB drive, and the copied list should be given to Rocketfarm as a receipt of termination.
It is not possible to terminate TEST and DEMO licenses.

Restricted Pally with expired Service and Support Plan

Without an active Service and Support Plan, the following options and information wont' be available:

Installation node

• Gripper type

• Gripper dimensions

• Lifting column type

• Lifting column stroke

• Add/remove product sensors

• Change pattern folder

• Automatic/manual pattern upload

• Delete pattern

Program node

• All tabs except Overview.

POP

• Elapsed/remaining time

• Date/time

• Info column (current position, current layer, … etc.)

Terminating the license will still not disable tabs, but prevent starting the program.

It is not possible to upgrade Pally with expired Service and Support Plan. If the user upgrades with an expired subscription, a prompt will appear telling the user to obtain a service package or downgrade to the previous Pally version.

Important bugfixes

• Fixed an issue where the approach distance was smaller than specified

• Fixed an issue where rf_P1_terminate and rf_P2_terminate did not terminate the corresponding pallet

• Fixed an issue where the program was not deterministic when using safety planes

• Fixed an issue where the robot stopped with “Joint position close to limit” on the return path

• Fixed an issue where the program stopped with an error message from Ewellix LiftKit version 1.2

Other improvements

Improved grip-quality for pickup optimizer

Grip quality formula has been redesigned to give more consistent values when picking small boxes with a small gripper and large boxes with a large gripper.
The new Grip quality uses torque and force estimations especially with multi-pick where boxes are not being picked at their center point.
Two new optimizer parameters are also added:

• rf_grip_rot_cost can be used to define custom cost for picking with different gripper rotations, and

• rf_length_coverage defines how many percentage of the total box lenght has to be covered for multi-pick

Improved Show Mode

Demo Mode has been renamed to Show Mode. Now it has a special operator interface where the start conditions for the demo can be defined. Show mode requires a special license with the showMode option.

Reorganized advanced tab

The advanced tab now has a Daemon-, Backup- and Other-tab:

Daemon:

• Daemon port number

• Daemon status

• Start/stop daemon

Backup:

• Backup

• Backup configuration

Other:

• Operation mode

• RoboDK simulation

• Reset to default values

Refresh I/O is moved to the I/O tab.

Popup if vacuum sensor is not configured or not working properly

The program will display a warning when vacuum is not detected more than twice.

Miscellaneous changes

• PalletManager daemon variable name and visibility changes

• Missing values are indicated by a yellow color instead of red

• Using ‘smart acceleration’ will no longer result in extreme low accelerations

Pally v2.12.0

Released Jul 1, 2022

New features:

• Added an option to activate a 72 hours instant license without Rocketfarm assistance

• Added an option to start a demo program (Trade Show demo mode) on robots with a demo license

Important bugfixes:

• fixed an issue when Dual Product Mode was used in combination with automated product selection (no GUI)

• fixed an issue where the program stopped with "Another thread controlling the robot" during shim paper operations in Dual Product Mode

Other changes and improvements:

• lifting column Dynamic Positioning optimizer improvements, fewer unnecessary up-down movements

• added an option to compensate position errors when the lifting column is slightly tilted

• improved compatibility with newer Ewellix Liftkit URCap versions

• removed some hard-coded robot and lifting column motions before starting and after finishing a pallet

• switching off the blow signal during approaching the pick position with a vacuum gripper

• improved workaround to avoid protective stops when picking and releasing heavy boxes with a vacuum gripper

• hiding some special options that are not relevant for the user (RoboDK simulation mode, developer mode, etc.)

• uploading custom OEM logo for robots with OEM licenses only

• uploading only Pally related JSON files (patterns, zones, grippers)

• user has to read and accept the General Terms and Conditions when installing a license

• resolved a compatibility issue when Pally and dPally are both installed on the same robot

Compatibility notes:

Please read the following compatibility notes carefully before upgrading an existing Pally installation in production. Some changes in the recent versions may require new customer acceptance tests and/or modifications in the main robot program. Always make a full backup before upgrading.

• Ewellix LiftKit URCap compatibility
  Some compatibility issues with Ewellix LIFTKIT URCap version 1.2.0 have been resolved. Users having Ewellix LIFTKIT URCap version 1.1.0 may receive the following false alarm "Pillar not in position - press Continue to retry" after pausing and resuming the robot while operating the lifting column. Users are advised to upgrade LIFTKIT to 1.2.0 or newer - provided by Ewellix.

• Lifting column Dynamic Positioning
  The lifting column optimizer behavior has been significantly changed in version 2.12.0. Calculated lifting column positions may be different from in previous versions. Existing projects that use Dynamic Positioning should be verified. Projects that directly modify the rf_lift_alt_boost and rf_lift_safe_down parameters are advised to set rf_lift_alt_boost_auto=False and verify the program.

Pally v2.11.0

Released Apr 29, 2022

New key features

• Portuguese operator language added

• Piab CPT grippers added

Important bug fixes

• no important bugfixes in this version

Other changes and improvements

• Supported grippers are categorized by manufacturers

• Added a new option to select how the gripper is attached

Pally v2.10.2

Released Apr 4, 2022

This is a bugfix release only.

New key features

No new features in this release

Important bug fixes

• fixed an issue in Dual Product mode where the products selected for the primary and secondary lines mixed up after stopping and starting

Other changes and improvements

No other changes in this release

Pally v2.10.1

Released Mar 29, 2022

This is a bugfix release only.

New key features

No new features in this release

Important bug fixes

• fixed an issue where the robot did not pick the box(es) at all, or did not update the box counter and repeated the same position multiple times

• fixed an issue where the pick accuracy was incorrect after moving the lifting column

Other changes and improvements

No other changes in this release

Pally v2.10.0

Released Mar 1, 2022

New key features

• a new test tool called Calibration Test Wizard has been added, which makes it easier to identify the most common issues during setup and calibration

• the Pally Operator Panel (previously known as Runtime GUI) has been integrated; installing two separate URCaps is no longer needed

• picking fewer boxes automatically when the maximum payload would be exceeded

• new options for automatically starting a new pallet or continuing existing pallet without displaying a popup on program start

Important bug fixes

• fixed an issue where the multi-zone gripper optimizer selected only one vacuum zone for picking 2 boxes

• fixed an issue where the program tried to multi-pick more boxes than physically possible with a given gripper size and allowed payload

Other changes and improvements

• added a new parameter 'Lowest Position' for Vention lifting columns that can go below the calibrated zero position

• added Service Package options and expiry date in the License tab

• dimensions of Schmalz grippers updated to match the official product specifications

• improved error handling when the robot fails to pick a box due to false positive pick signal or mechanical issues

• added a reminder in the Gripper configuration tab to set a default TCP

Compatibility notes

Please read the following compatibility notes carefully before upgrading an existing Pally installation in production. Some changes in the recent versions may require new customer acceptance tests and/or modifications in the main robot program. Always make a full backup before upgrading.

• Pally Operator Panel:
  Functions of the Pally Operator Panel, also known as the Runtime GUI URCap, have been integrated into the Pally URCap. Installing two separate URCaps is no longer required. Compatibility with the older versions of POP are not maintained. Users are advised to uninstall all older versions of POP as they may not function properly any more.

• Maximum allowed payload with multi-pick:
  The program will check the maximum allowed payload for the specific robot model when selecting more than one box for multi-pick. As a result, the program may reject picking multiple packages, or reduce the number of boxes being picked, in projects where the maximum payload could be previously exceeded. Maximum allowed payload is derived from the serial number format.

Pally v2.9.0

Released Dec 8, 2021

New key features

• automatic pick fewer boxes when multi pick is not possible

• new callback “onNextTask” for better control of calculations and custom path planning

• zone coverage, gripper alignment, tcp and cog added for custom grippers defined in gripper.json

• new tab for pattern management under Installation added

Important bug fixes

• fixed an issue where the Pally global variables were duplicated with _1 in the variable name

• fixed an issue where the program stopped with get_inverse_kinematics could not find a solution

• fixed an issue where some box positions on the highest layers were not possible to palletize

• fixed an issue where the program did not double-pick with boxPadding greater than zero

• fixed an issue where the vacuum and the blow signals were activated simultaneously at pickup

• fixed an issue where a valid license was rejected

• fixed an issue where the required LiftKit URCap version was inaccurate

Other changes and improvements

• improved performance when 2-ways and 4-ways gripper optimization is enabled

• using posData in zones.json files is made optional

• using zones.json in combination with lifting column dynamic positioning is possible

• Pally Operator Panel can now be sent to background to provide access to the Polyscope user interface

• some messages and log lines updated

Compatibility notes

Please read the following compatibility notes carefully before upgrading an existing Pally installation in production. Some changes in the recent versions may require new customer acceptance tests and/or modifications in the main robot program. Always make a full backup before upgrading.

• URCap API 1.12:
  From version 2.9.0 the minimum required URCap API version is 1.12. which may require the robot to be upgraded to a significantly newer version of Polyscope. Always make a full backup before upgrading.

• Definition of multi-zone grippers (gripper.json):
  From version 2.9.0 the structure of gripper.json has been changed. The zone positions are now defined in accordance with the tool coordinate system, which means the X and Y directions are inverted. This applies to all new gripper.json files that have the new format with the "properties" structure included, otherwise the old behavior is kept for compatibility reasons.

• Multi-pick fewer boxes:
  From version 2.9.0 the optimizer will try to pick fewer boxes when the specified (maximum) amount of boxes cannot be palletized for some reasons, including out of reach issues and too small gripper size. In contrast to older versions that failed immediately with "This position cannot be palletized" the program will now retry with fewer boxes. This may introduce unpredictable behavior when the calibration of an existing system is modified.

• Optional posData in zones.json:
  From version 2.9.0 the "posData" values in zones.json are made optional. This makes it possible to use zones in combination with lifting column dynamic positioning.

• New callback onNextTask:
  From version 2.9.0 a new callback "onNextTask" will be automatically generated into the existing program tree when the Pally program node is opened in the Program Robot menu for the first time. The program has to be saved in order to keep the new structure.

Pally v2.8.2

Released Oct 8, 2021

New key features

Polish translation added.

Important bug fixes

None

Other changes and improvements

None

Pally v2.8.1

Released Sep 7, 2021

New key features

This is a bugfix release with no new features.

Important bug fixes

• Fixed an issue where the calculated lifting column positions were inconsistent between subsequent pallets

• Fixed an issue where the boxes crashed to the other boxes on the pallet when picking small boxes with a large gripper

• Fixed an issue where the ProductCount variable was not correctly initialized when Partial Pallet was started at a specific position

• Fixed an issue where the number of installed product sensors was not properly used in multi-pick calculations

• Fixed an issue where a popup "Please review the installation settings" appeared unnecessarily at program start

• Fixed an issue where the beforeZone and afterZone callbacks were missing after loading programs that were created with old Pally versions

Other changes and improvements

• Description and illustrations of the Smart Exit path planning parameters are updated in the User Manual

Compatibility notes

Please read the following compatibility notes carefully before upgrading an existing Pally installation in production. Some changes in the recent versions may require new customer acceptance tests and/or modifications in the main robot program. Always make a full backup before upgrading.

• ProductCount variable
  Due to bugfixes in version 2.8.1 the ProductCount variable is now consistent and its value represents the number of boxes on the pallet, starting from 0, also when partial pallet is started at a given start position.

Pally v2.8.0

Released Jul 5, 2021

New key features

• Height of the empty pallet can be selected for each pattern

• Visualization of the empty pallet dimensions on the Product Selection dialog

• Automatic calculation of 'box free' position for different box heights

• Shim papers with different height within the same pallet

• New illustration image for pallet setup

• Improved robot control to avoid protective stops at the pick and drop positions

• Hungarian operator language added

Important bug fixes

• Fixed an issue where the palletizer program could be started without specifying essential parameters

• Fixed an issue where changes in the lifting column position were not applied in the calculations after program stop-start.

• Fixed an issue where "This position cannot be palletized" appeared unnecessarily with custom path enabled

• Fixed an issue where "Acceleration has been extremely reduced" appeared at every pick

• Fixed an issue where "Load defaults for conveyor placement" replaced user-defined settings without warning

• Fixed an issue where the product sensors on the secondary pickup could activate picking from the primary pickup

• Fixed an issue where the robot stopped with "Joint position close to limits" on the way from the pallet position to pickup position

• Fixed an issue where the IO drop-down lists on the LED-tower configuration page were too narrow

Other changes and improvements

• Waiting Position renamed to Start Position

• Allowed to store 'gripper.json' in the patterns folder

• Calling beforeZone and afterZone callbacks while the lifting column is in the specified zone

• More detailed log levels can now be saved (except debug)

• Dynamic Positioning is now selected by default for Lifting Column

• Path planning improvements to avoid collision with the mounting base

• Gripper optimizer improvements for multi-zone grippers

• Left pallet can have different approach (altApproach)

• Stability improvements

• Performance improvements

• Some messages and log lines updated

Compatibility notes

Please read the following compatibility notes carefully before upgrading an existing Pally installation in production. Some changes in the recent versions may require new customer acceptance tests and/or modifications in the main robot program. Always make a full backup before upgrading.

• Execution of beforeZone and afterZone callbacks
  From version 2.8.0 the beforeZone callback will be invoked when the lifting column has already reached the specified position but palletizing has not yet started. Similarly, the afterZone callback will be invoked after palletizing the last box has finished but the lifting column is still in the position as specified by the current zone. Programs that use a lifting column and have user code in beforeZone and afterZone callbacks should be verified.

• Execution of beforeGrab callback
  From version 2.8.0 the pipeline architecture for all path planning calculations has been redesigned such that all calculations are already done when the program enters the beforeGrab callback. Changing some path-planning related internal rf_-variables in beforeGrab for smart exit or collision radius calculations will no longer have any effect on the next movement. Programs that modify internal (rf_) path planning variables directly in beforeGrab should be verified.

• Waiting time at pickup and release positions
  From version 2.8.0 the waiting time at pickup and release positions has been optimized, in order to minimize the occurrence of protective stops caused by too early or too late change in the payload and center of gravity. The waiting time may become shorter or longer than in previous versions. Projects that are sensitive to the waiting times at pickup and release positions should be verified. For further information, see the new variables rf_joint_deviation_max and rf_joint_deviation_err in the User Manual.

Pally v2.7.1

Released May 12, 2021

New key features

• Operator Panel supports Dual Product Mode

• Added a new button to refresh the list of patterns in Installation

• Added fixed approach distance as a new option

Important bug fixes

• Fixed an issue where a large gripper with +-90 degrees rotation could accidentally pick more boxes

• Fixed a performance issue where the robot was moving too slow to the target position when using Inverted Approach with large boxes

• Fixed an issue where negative average boxes per minute could appear on the Operator Panel

• Fixed an issue where the robot target joint angles were not properly calculated

• Corrections in the language translations

• Improved support for simulation

Pally v2.7.0

Released Mar 29, 2021

New key features

• Operator language can be chosen from Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Slovak, Spanish

• User interface for Dual Product Mode added

• Generic lifting columns with only 2 positions (up/down) are now supported with Dynamic Positioning and Dual Product Mode

• Height of the empty pallet can be specified for each pattern (requires calibration pallet height to be defined)

Important bug fixes

Stability improvements

• Fixed an issue where the robot stopped without any error messages on CB-series robots with Polyscope 3.13 and 3.14

• Fixed an issue where the robot stopped with "Joint position close to limits: Wrist 3" without reason

Other

• Fixed an issue where the automatically selected gripper rotation was not deterministic at specific box positions

• Fixed an issue where the pallet lip function calculated a wrong height of a waypoint that crashed to the pallet lip

• Fixed an issue where Dual Product mode did not work with different number of sensors installed on the two pick positions

• Fixed an issue where the program presented a wrong error message for some target positions that were out of reach

• Minor corrections on the UI

Pally v2.6.1

Released Jan 12, 2021

New key features

This release does not include any new features.

Important bug fixes

Stability improvements

• Fixed an issue where the robot stopped with an error "Runtime too much behind" (on E-series) or "Lost communication with controller" (on CB-series) due to high CPU usage in calculations

• Improved compatibility with CB 3.0 robots

• Improved thread synchronization

Path planning

• Added an option rf_use_movej to choose between linear and joint movement towards the pick position.

• Fixed an issue where the path planning did not add a required waypoint to avoid collision with the robot or existing boxes.

• Fixed an issue where the gripper was approaching the pick position while still rotating.

• Fixed an issue where the 2-ways or 4-ways gripper optimization chose a wrong gripper rotation at pickup in projects where the calculated grip quality value was less than a hardcoded threshold value.

Daemon startup

• Fixed an issue where the daemon did not start automatically in case the XMLRPC port was not set to default 40419.

Lifting column with Dynamic Positining

• Fixed an issue where the use of Dynamic Positioning resulted in a constantly oscillating up/down motion of the lifting column after the first pallet was finished.

• Fixed an issue where the lifting column was not lifted high enough to palletize boxes on the top layers.

• Fixed an issue where the calculated pick and place positions were incorrect after restarting the program to continue existing pallets in Dual Product mode when the lifting column was in an elevated position.

Multi-zone grippers

• Fixed an issue where the overlapping gripper zones with the same IO channel resulted in an unpredictable output state.

• Fixed an issue where the TCP offset was incorrect for gripper zones located at negative Y direction.

Pally Runtime GUI

• Fixed an issue where the Runtime GUI stopped with an error message "IllegalArgumentException: The end instant must be greater than the start instant".

Pally v2.6.0

Released Nov 3, 2020

New key features

Support for very high lifting columns

A new checkbox "Dynamic positioning" has been added to the lifting column selection page. When dynamic positioning is in use, the program recalculates the lifting column position for each pick and place position, allowing the lifting column to be moved up or down to reach the pickup position, thus building theoretically infinitely high pallets.

Support for Vention MachineMotion lifting columns

Lifting columns built with a Vention MachineMotion controller are now natively supported by Pally. Requires the Vention MachineMotion URCap to be installed.

Better motion control with Custom Path

It is now possible to overwrite the default Pally path planning by implementing custom movement for one or more specific box positions, or even replace the default path planning completely. With the two new global variables MoveTarget and MovePerformed, the user can decide to implement a new way of moving boxes from the pickup position. With the TaskCompleted variable it is also possible to implement custom code to sort out boxes from the conveyor that should not be palletized based on a project-specific quality check.

More robust path planning algorithm

The path planning algorithm has been completely redesigned to predict and avoid collision situations more accurately. This will result in shorter paths and better reach of the corner positions.

Smart acceleration

A new slider has been added to the Speed tab to get better control over the automatic acceleration limitation algorithm, which can dynamically reduce the robot acceleration when there is a high risk of dropping heavy boxes due to weak grip strength. This was only possible with custom script code in previous versions.

Fieldbus signals selectable in Pally I/O

In addition to the standard digital I/O and configurable digital I/O, it is now possible to select and use the general purpose registers and external MODBUS signals.

Statistics on Runtime GUI

Average product cycles, average robot cycles, elapsed time, estimated remaining time are now displayed on the Runtime GUI during palletizing.

Important bug fixes

Stability fix on Pally RTG

It has been a common problem that using Pally RTG alongside Pally causes the Polyscope GUI to freeze from time to time. In this release, the code in the GuiServer java classes (one class in Pally and one in Pally RTG) has been refactored to try to fix these issues. Based on current testing, the issue is gone. However, we are not 100% sure that this issue is fixed - so we have to be aware in the future if we see errors in GUI freeze due to Pally RTG.

Partial Pallet editing total number of boxes did not work

Due to different left and right pallets, editing the total number of boxes on a pallet using the partial pallet feature did not work in Pally. This issue has been fixed, and the partial pallet code in the URScript part of Pally has been refactored.

Pally v2.5.3

Released Nov 3, 2020

This is a minor release with some improvements and bug fixes since version 2.5.0.

Stability fix for Pally RTG (PALLY-404)

It is a known error that having the Pally RTG URCap installed alongside Pally can cause the GUI to freeze. This is a serious issue, and is most likely solved in this version. A clean up/refactoring was done in how the sockets in the GuiServer.java was closed.

Fix for pausing Ewellix lifting column mid motion (PALLY-742)

If the user paused the program as the Ewellix lifting column was in motion, then there would be an error when restarting the program as the Liftkit URCap (from Ewellix) needed more time to start the lifting column again than what Pally gave to it. This was fixed by rewriting some of the methods from the API from the Liftkit URCap.

Fix for indexing of IO channels on multi-zone grippers (caused by: PALLY-336)

There was a bug regarding zero-indexing for the multi-zone grippers.

Pally 2.5.2

Released Sep 30, 2020

This is a minor release with some improvements and bugfixes since version 2.5.0:

• added the Smart Acceleration slider to have better control over the automatically calculated acceleration with large boxes

• added the MoveTarget, MovePerformed, and TaskCompleted global variables to support custom path and sorting out boxes

• added general purpose IO and Modbus IO to the supported IO types

• fixed an issue where the initial acceleration was too high after starting the palletizing program

• fixed an issue where the pattern information was not shown for patterns with shim paper at the top layer

• fixed an issue where the developer mode checkbox was not selected after reloading the program

Pally 2.5.0

Released Jun 18, 2020

New key features

Removed dependencies on UR magic scripts

As UR has decided to stop supporting magic scripts at one point in the future, Pally now has built-in functionality for uploading palletizing patterns from a USB drive and creating backups.
In the installation node under the Pally -> Advanced -> Patterns tab, there are now options to manually trigger an upload from a USB drive.
In addition to this, the user can enable automatic upload from the same place. This will basically enable the same functionality as if the USB drive had the urmagic_upload_pattern.sh script.

Remove pattern files from the robot

In the installation node under the Pally -> Advanced -> Patterns tab, the user is now able to select a pattern from a list and delete it from the robot by clicking the "Delete pattern" button below the list.

Box picking improvements

Pally can now handle picking up more than 2 boxes at one time. By adding a presence sensor for each product on the conveyor, Pally will wait until the needed amount of boxes are available before performing the next pick. This will increase efficiency, flexibility and reduce wear on the solution.

Special grippers with multiple vacuum zones

When a custom gripper with multiple vacuum zones is needed, Pally can now be configured to control and thereby optimize usage of the vacuum zones through a configuration file.

Improved path for wide mounting bases

Layers can be configured to use an inverted approach angle when placing boxes on the pallet. This will allow for placing boxes closer to the robot base than previously possible.

Other new features

• Possibility to enforce the number of boxes to be picked for a specific position in a layer

• Possibility to enforce the gripper orientation at pickup position for a box

• Support for identical left and right pallet

Improvements

• Lift the gripper in z-axis if possible after placing a box

• Better feedback to the operator with a warning if pickup position is out of reach

• Improved zone definitions with multiple conditions

• Some minor user interface improvements

• Some performance improvements

• Conform to the new file structure for Polyscope 5.8 and above

Pally 2.4.2

Released Mar 31, 2020

Improvements

New GUI for installation node

• Pally installation node has a new view that uses Java Swing rather than HTML

• Includes these tabs:

1. Overview

2. Gripper

3. Lifting column

4. Inout/Output

5. License

6. Advanced

• Each tab now includes more guidance and help text compared to previous releases

Customer logo update

• Removed lower limit size check on the uploaded customer logos, now it only checks that the uploaded logo files are not greater than the specified max size (check documentation for how to use customer logo)

Path planning

The following issues have been identified and solved:

• The UR bug that the is_within_safety_limit does not use the actual calibration data

• The tool rotation correction after AnalyzePath is not always successful

• The optimizer cost for very low grip quality is not significant enough

• The reachability of the approach is not checked in the path planning

User Manual

• Removed Pally logo from the user manual that can be opened within the Pally URCap

• Improved the code for the user manual such that less memory is used whenever it is opened in the URCap. This will make the error 'out of memory' less frequent/not possible.

Pally 2.4.1

Released Feb 3, 2020

Improvements

• 4-ways gripper optimizer produces false alarm about position cannot be palletized

• SKF has changed name to Ewellix - Update Pally to reflect the new name

• Improved functionality for OEM configuration of Pally

Pally 2.4.0

Released Jan 9, 2020

New features:

Partial pallet

• Palletize n number of boxes on a pallet

• Palletize from box number x on layer y on a pallet (continuing on an existing pallet)

Support for custom logo

Improvements

• Pally daemon did not restart with default port after clicking the "Reset to default" button.

• Improvements to the wizard navigation

• Improved input validation in the wizard

Pally 2.3.1

Released Dec 16, 2019

Added native support for Schmalz FXCB gripper
Added 4-ways gripper optimization
Added inverse logic I/O
Improved path planning for extended reach
Better validation of user input
Configurable XMLRPC port
Several bugfixes and improvements

Pally 2.3.0

Released Aug 29, 2019

• New user interface for the end-user (runtime GUI)

• Integration with SKF LiftKit (requires SKF LiftKit URCap 1.0.6 or higher)

• Support for generic lifting columns

• Shim paper function

• TCP is no longer set for generic/unknown/proprietary gripper types

• Several bugfixes and improvements

Release v2.2.1 - Pally URCap

Released Mar 25, 2019

Improvements and fixes

• Bugfix when digital input is configured for pallet presence but a pallet position is not explicitely enabled by checkbox

• Bugfix on Pickup and Pallet screen, calibration box width and length was exchanged

• Fit gripper I/O settings on the CB teach pendant by using a smaller illustration image for the gripper

• Increased tolerance in pallet patthern from 0.01 mm to 1% of box length when selecting two boxes for double grip

• More accurate speed calculation when moving from target to next pickup position

Release v2.2 - Pally URCap

Released Mar 1, 2019

Changes:

• New and improved User Interface in the Program node

• Magic script for backup of a robot (programs, patterns, urcaps and licenses)

• Added an installation checklist to the User Manual

• Integrated support for a signal tower (red, yellow and green light)

Improvements and fixes:

• All points for the robot is now set and stored in the URCap (pallet calibration points and pickup points).

• Patterns folder is automatically created by the Installation node if it does not exist

• Fixes label orientation issue left pallet

• Improved filtering of log entries.