sysprogs params(5)

NAME
sysprogs_params -- parameters for controller RCCL/RCI utility programs.

DESCRIPTION
This is the set of parameters located in the file .rciparams which controls various default behaviours of the RCCL/RCI utility programs (such as pumacal, move, free, etc.).

A .rciparams file appears in $RCCL/conf, and other files may be defined in the user's home directory and the current directory. Set definitions in the latter files take precendence over definitions in the former files. The sysprogs parameter set is an instance of the general RCI parameter set facility (see rciParameters(3)); it is introduced in the .rciparams file with the declaration name=sysprogs.

The keywords associated with the parameter set are:

cpus --
    A bitmask describing what CPUs may be used by the utility program for controlling the robot. Bit 0 corresponds to CPU 0, bit 1 corresponds to CPU 1, etc. CPU 0 is the arbiter, or UNIX, CPU. If the program must run on only the arbiter CPU, then the entry cpus=0x1 would be appropriate. If auxiliary CPUs 1 and 2 are available, and it is desired to run the program on only them, then the entry cpus=0x6 would be appropriate. The utility program will probably only select one CPU, particularly if it is controlling only one robot.

interval --
    The sample interval associated with the robot control task, in milliseconds. In principle, this interval can be any value, but in practice it should be set consistently with any restrictions imposed by the scheduling discipline (see below).

scheduling --
    Specifies which RCI scheduling discipline is to be used in controlling the robot. The following disciplines may be used:

ON_FUNCTION --
    The sample rate will be controlled by the robot controller instead of by the RCI system. This means that interval, defined above, should be consistent with the control intervals that the robot controller is capable of delivering. The typical Unimation PUMA controller can deliver accurate control rates of 7, 14, 28, 56, or 128 milliseconds.

ON_CLOCK --
    The sample rate will be controlled by the RCI system, using the ON_CLOCK scheduling discipline. This means that the control task will be woken up by the RCI clock and will then signal the controller to start the next control cycle. Using this scheduling discipline means that the interval parameter should be set to some multiple of the RCI system clock resolution. On most present systems, this resolution is around 10 milliseconds. The resolution may be smaller if RCI has the support of a hardware clock device.

ON_TRIGGER --
    The sample rate will be controlled by the RCI system, using the ON_TRIGGER scheduling discipline. This means that RCI will use a trigger function to wake up the robot controller at the beginning of the next control cycle, and the robot controller will then wake up the control task when it has the feedback data ready to be collected. Using this scheduling discipline means that the interval parameter should be set to some multiple of the RCI system clock resolution.

timeout --
    Optional parameter controlling the program's block timeout time, which is defined as the timeout value multiplied by the control cycle interval time. For example, a timeout value of 10 and a sample interval of 30 would mean that RCI would issue a timeout if the control level hung for longer than 300 milliseconds. The default timeout value is 2.

leavePowerOn --
    An optional integer parameter which, if set to a true (non-zero) value, prevents the robot arm power from being switched off after the program has finished. This is equivalent to specifying the -on option in the program's command line. If the control level is terminated with an RCI abort, then the power will still be switched off. The program power is unaffected by this parameter. The default value is false.

SEE ALSO
rciParameters(3), plus the manual pages for the various utility programs.