Safety Functions reference
Each Safety Function is one behavior the Robot must obey. This page lists the functions RobSafety exposes, their parameters, and how each one is activated.
RobSafety is only available when the Robot's update channel is set to Beta — see System settings.
How a Safety Function is activated
Not every Safety Function is mapped the same way. Each one has one of three mapping types, and this determines what you can do with it under Mappings:
| Mapping type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Always active | In force whenever the Robot runs. It cannot be mapped to an Activation Rule, and cannot be switched off. |
| Freely mappable | You link it to any Activation Rule you like. It is active while that rule is. |
| Fixed to Activation Rule | Bound to one particular Activation Rule. You configure its parameters, but not what activates it. |
Knowing which is which saves confusion in the Mappings tab: if a function you expect to map does not appear there, it is either always active or fixed.
Always active
Output Safe Home
Reports whether the Robot is at its safe home position, as a safe output — so an external safety controller can rely on the Robot being parked.
| Parameter | Unit |
|---|---|
| Threshold | deg |
| Joint n Home Position (one per axis) | deg |
The threshold is the tolerance: the Robot counts as home while every joint is within that many degrees of its configured home position.
Output Stop
Reports the Robot's stop state as a safe output.
| Parameter | Type |
|---|---|
| Output E-Stop instead of Safe Stop 1 | Boolean |
Freely mappable
Protective Stop
Stops the Robot when its Activation Rule becomes active — the function to map to a light curtain, a door switch or a safety mat.
| Parameter | Type |
|---|---|
| Trigger Safe Stop 1 instead of Safe Stop 2 | Boolean |
| Auto Reset Safe Stop 2 | Boolean |
Safe Stop 2 halts the Robot but keeps it energized and holding position, so it can resume; Safe Stop 1 brings it to a stop and removes drive power. Use Safe Stop 2 for a routine interruption an operator will clear, and Safe Stop 1 where the stop should require a deliberate restart.
Auto Reset Safe Stop 2 decides whether the Robot may resume by itself once the rule clears, or whether resuming requires a manual reset.
Safe Space
Restricts where the Robot may be, as a set of axis-aligned boxes.
A box is configured for each joint, plus one for the TCP:
| Parameter | Unit |
|---|---|
| Starting Point X / Y / Z | mm |
| Length X / Y / Z | mm |
Each box is defined by a corner (its starting point) and its extent along each axis. Because the joints are constrained individually as well as the TCP, the Robot cannot satisfy the limit by reaching around with its elbow.
Tool Orientation
Constrains how the tool may be oriented, as a cone.
| Parameter | Type |
|---|---|
| Threshold | numeric |
| Cone Axis | unit vector |
The cone axis is the direction the tool must point along; the threshold is how far it may deviate. This is the function to use where the tool must stay pointing down — carrying an open container, or keeping a spindle away from an operator.
Fixed to an Activation Rule
Cartesian Speed Limit
Limits the speed of the TCP.
| Parameter | Unit |
|---|---|
| Speed Limit | mm/s |
The usual reduced-speed function: a rule detects that someone has entered the cell, and the Robot keeps working slowly instead of stopping.
Joint Position Limits
Limits how far each joint may travel.
| Parameter | Unit |
|---|---|
| Joint n Lower Position Limit | deg |
| Joint n Upper Position Limit | deg |
Use it to keep the Robot out of a region entirely — a wall behind it, or a neighboring cell — where a Safe Space box is an awkward fit.
Joint Speed Limits
Limits the speed of each joint individually.
| Parameter | Unit |
|---|---|
| Joint n Speed Limit | deg/s |
Complements the Cartesian Speed Limit: a slow TCP can still involve a fast-moving elbow, and this is what bounds that.
Activation Rule parameters
Alongside the Safe Input configuration described in Configuration, each Activation Rule carries:
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Activation Delay (ms) | How long the input state must hold before the rule activates |
| Auto Reset | Whether the rule releases on its own when the inputs no longer match |
| Enabled by Safe Input n | Include this input in the rule |
| Safe Input n Inverted | Match this input in its inactive state instead |
An activation delay is what suppresses nuisance trips from a sensor that chatters. Set it as short as the application tolerates — the delay is time during which the Robot has not yet reacted.
The available Safety Functions, their parameters, and the permitted value ranges are determined by the Robot's own safety configuration. Ranges and the number of axes and Safe Inputs differ between Robots, so treat the values shown in RobSafety on your Robot as authoritative over any example here.