How to change speed of an entire conveyor system using code

Question

question

Patrick Cloutier asked Aug 03 2017 at 4:04 PM Patrick Cloutier commented Aug 07 2017 at 2:04 PM

How to change speed of an entire conveyor system using code

I have a conveyor system loop made of 132 conveyors of the same type. I have a motor connected to all of them to sync power and free dog positions. That works fine.

Now I need to change the speed of the entire system when certain products enter the line.

I tried the following code in my triggering object but in doesn't do anything:

treenode motor= model().find("Motor1");

motor.targetSpeed = 4;

Maybe I can't reference the motor to do this. But how would I reference the conveyor type instead of all the 132 sections ?

Thanks,

Software Version:

FlexSim 17.1.4

conveyor speed

______

Cookie preferences

Your privacy is important to us and so is an optimal experience. To help us customize information and build applications, we collect data about your use of this site.

May we collect and use your data?

Learn more about the Third Party Services we use and our Privacy Statement.

Strictly necessary – required for our site to work and to provide services to you

These cookies allow us to record your preferences or login information, respond to your requests or fulfill items in your shopping cart.

YES

Improve your experience – allows us to show you what is relevant to you

These cookies enable us to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we use to deliver information and experiences tailored to you. If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not be available for you.

YES

NO

Customize your advertising – permits us to offer targeted advertising to you

These cookies collect data about you based on your activities and interests in order to show you relevant ads and to track effectiveness. By collecting this data, the ads you see will be more tailored to your interests. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

YES

NO

Are you sure you want a less customized experience?

We can access your data only if you select "yes" for the categories on the previous screen. This lets us tailor our marketing so that it's more relevant for you. You can change your settings at any time by visiting our privacy statement

Your experience. Your choice.

We care about your privacy. The data we collect helps us understand how you use our products, what information you might be interested in, and what we can improve to make your engagement with Autodesk more rewarding.

May we collect and use your data to tailor your experience?

Explore the benefits of a customized experience by managing your privacy settings for this site or visit our Privacy Statement to learn more about your options.

Answer 1 · 2017-08-04T06:44:27Z

Arun Kr answered Aug 04 2017 at 6:44 AM Arun Kr commented Aug 04 2017 at 5:19 PM

Hi @Patrick Cloutier,

You can try the following code. One thing to note is, the motor doesn't have a speed property. So the expression " motor.targetSpeed" is invalid.

And conveyor references are taken from the motor via conveyors node in the variables.

Object Motor = model().find("Motor1");
double SpeedValue = 100;
treenode VarNode = getvarnode(Motor,"conveyors");
for(int k=1;k<=VarNode.subnodes.length;k++)
{
treenode ChildNodes = VarNode.subnodes[k];
Conveyor ConveyorRef = ownerobject(tonode(ChildNodes.value));
ConveyorRef.targetSpeed = SpeedValue;
}

Regards,

Arun KR

· 7

Jeff Nordgren commented · Aug 04 2017 at 7:00 AM

@Patrick Cloutier

@Arun KR

You can easily change the speed variable of a Conveyor Type by using this code:

model().find("ConveyorSystem>variables/conveyorTypes/ConveyorType1/speed").value = 5;

This changes the variable just like it would if you entered into the Properties Window of the Conveyor Type. But just changing that variable won't change the speed of that type of conveyor in a running model. Not sure there is a way to change the speed of conveyors in a running model. One problem, is that is would have to change conveyor "events" that were created when a flowitem entered a conveyor. That would be "ugly" to figure out for each potential flowitem that could be on a conveyor at any given point in a model.

But if you used the above code and then did a model reset, it would change the speed of all conveyors of that type in the model. But not sure that is helpful in your case Patrick.

0 ·

Arun Kr Jeff Nordgren commented · Aug 04 2017 at 7:38 AM

Hi @Jeff Nordgren,

Pls see the attached model. I was able to change the conveyor speed dynamically based on the type of flow items entering the conveyor. The code is inside the decision point.

If the model logic is useful or not Patrick can confirm.

Regards,

Arun KR

2 ·

patrick-support.fsm (19.6 KiB)

Patrick Cloutier Arun Kr commented · Aug 04 2017 at 2:18 PM

Thanks a lot Arun. That seems to be working fine. But I'd like to understand how it works. Correct my understanding:

It loops through all the conveyors linked to the Motor and changes their speed individually. Is that correct?

1 ·

Show more comments

Patrick Cloutier Jeff Nordgren commented · Aug 04 2017 at 2:20 PM

I'm very surprised that this is not a standard option either in decisions points or motors as this is a very common situation in paint lines and other types of chain conveyors.

2 ·

Answer 2 · 2017-08-04T17:36:55Z

Jeff Nordgren answered Aug 04 2017 at 5:36 PM Patrick Cloutier commented Aug 07 2017 at 2:04 PM

@Patrick Cloutier

Using basically the code that @Arun KR used in his reply, I changed the model a little. Because the goal is to change the speed of all conveyors connected to a Motor, it seemed more logical to have that code on the Motor and not on a DP.

I changed it so that you can send a message to the Motor with the first parameter being the speed you want to change the conveyors to. I added a "Speed" label to the flowitems and in the DP I send a message with the first parameter being the item.Speed label.

Would something like this work for you? And yes, it does loop through all the conveyors connected to the Motor.

change-conveyorspeed-sample1-v1714.fsm

change-conveyorspeed-sample1-v1714.fsm (19.9 KiB)

· 2

question