The "Find Home" and "Find Limit" moves are commonly used in motion control. Here’s a brief description about each type of move:
- Find Home Move:
- The "Find Home" move establishes a reference position known as the "home" position for a machine or motion system. This move requires an additional home switch, installed at the axis origin.
- This procedure is commonly used as an initialization sequence upon powering on the system. The motors advance towards the home switch and stop upon activation. Once the home position is detected, the encoder position of the axis is reset to ‘0’. This alignment ensures that all subsequent movements are precisely coordinated with this established reference point, which is crucial for maintaining the accuracy and repeatability of the system’s operations.
- Should any event disrupt the known position of the system, such as a power outage or manual interference, you should execute the "Find Home" move to reestablish the reference position.
- Find Limit Move:
- Limit switches are installed at the extremes of the axis travel range to establish the boundaries of the motion range of a system. The "Find Limit" move will move the motor to these extreme bounds of its operational range. During the "Find Limit" move, the motors progress towards each limit switch. The movement stops when a limit switch is activated, which indicates that the maximum or minimum boundary has been reached.
- Like the "Find Home" move, the "Find Limit" move may need to be repeated following any event that could potentially alter the system’s configuration, or after maintenance tasks that involve mechanical adjustments.
Both moves are essential for calibration and safety in automated systems, ensuring that the equipment operates within its designed parameters.