Add Graph FB

Icon-FB-Graphs

[right of Graphic-Area]: Kinematics FB toolbar > Graph FB

Menu:

Add menu > Add Graph FB

STEP 1: Add a Graph FB to the graphic-area

1.Click...

Add menu > Add Graph FB

- or -

Kinematics FB toolbar > Add Graph FB [see Function-Block Toolbar ]

2.Click in the graphic-area

The Graph FB is now in the graphic-area.

STEP 2: Connect wires

The wires are from the output connectors of other Function-Blocks to the input-connectors of the Graph FB.

1.Drag a wire from the output-connector of a FB to an input-connector of the Graph FB.

There are five(5) input-connectors on the Graph FB:

•Top:      #1 – 4 : are the Y-axes of the graph. [ See Below: Y-axis Options ]
•Bottom:    #5  : is the X-axis of the graph [ See below X-axis Options ]

STEP 3: Open the Graph FB

1.Click the Graph FB in the graphic-area

The Graph FB is in the Selection-Window

2.Right-click the Graph FB in the Selection-Window
3.Click 'Edit element...' in the contact-sensitive menu.

or, see How to open a Dialog-Box

- or -

1.Double-click a Graph FB in the graphic-area

- or -

1.Double-click a Graph FB in the Assembly-Tree

See: Graph FB to review the Graph Interface.

See Graph Display Option to review the kinematic, kinetostatic and Cam-Data that you can plot with a Graph FB.

Input to X-axis [bottom-connector]:

Option 1: Nothing - the X-axis becomes the same as the Master Machine Axis [however, the graph may 'fly-back' from 360 back to 0 across the middle of the plot].

Option 2: Directly from a Linear-Motion FB or Gearing FB - input increases linearly, the X-axis can thus have a scale that is not 0 – 360.

Option 3: From a Motion FB or Measurement FB - input does not increase at a constant rate.

See also:

Function-Block menu

Application Settings | Number Format for Data Format

tog_minus        Graph Interface

FB-Graph-Display1

There are 5 Panel in the Graph FB:

1r Y–axis Scales:

•A 'Y-Scale' for each graph plot and connected input – from left to right, Y1 to Y4
•The colour of the Y–axis and the graph are the same.

2r Y–axis Options:

•The Y-axis Options in the drop-down box depend on the FB that you have connected to the input-connector of the Y–axis.
•To show all of the options, you must

See Y–axis Options

3r Digital Readout (DRO):

•The X–axis and the Y1 to Y4 axis values at the position of the vertical red pointer6s.
•The colour of the numerical values are the same as the line-colour of each Y–axis graph
•The Number Format for the X–axis, Y–axis, and 'Data in Clipboard', is configured in Application Settings | Number Format tab.

4r The Graph Area:

•The colour-coded graphs for each Y–axis input
•A Vertical Red 'pointer'6s

The 'Vertical Red Pointer' AND the Master Machine Angle 'jump' to where you click in the graph area, and also to where you 'Drag' your mouse pointer.

5r Toolbar:

•Save, Print, Graph Settings, Zoom Extents, Pan Left, Pan Right, 'Copy Graph Data to Clipboard' – see 7s below

Also, note these tools:

6r Vertical Red Pointer

When you click in the Graph Area4s, the Vertical Red Pointer will snap to your mouse Pointer.

When you drag your pointer in the graphic-area:

•the Vertical Red Cursor will move with your pointer
•the Digital Readouts3s will continuously update to the
•the Master Machine Angle will continuously update to be the same as the position of the Vertical Red Pointer along the X–axis
•the kinematically-defined Chains will move to agree with the Master Machine Angle

7r Copy Graph Data to Clipboard

•When you click the right-most tool/icon in the toolbar above the Graphs5s, the graph data is copied to the Clipboard 7s .
•Paste this Data to Excel, or to MotionDesigner in the Data Transfer table. You can plot it as an overlay or use it as a Motion [use Z Raw-Data].
•Configure the Number Format for the X–axis, Y–axis, and 'Data in Clipboard' in Application Settings | Number Format tab.

tog_minus        2sY-Axis Options:

Y-Axis Options [the right of the Graph FB interface] are a function of the FB connected to the Y-axis input-connector of the Graph FB.

If the wire you connect to the Y–axis input-connector is from a:

•Golden Function-Block (Linear-Motion, Gearing, Motion, Motion-Dimension) you can plot:
oMotion Data being sent along any FB 'along the wire'.
oMotion-Data to trouble-shoot. For example, the motion given to a Rocker or Slider is not as you expect.
oLearn how FBs transform the motion-data.
•Measurement FB or Point-Data FB you can plot:
oLinear position, velocity, acceleration of the Measurement Dimension or Point.
oAngular position, velocity, acceleration of the Measurement Dimension.
oPressure-Angle.
You can plot three Pressure Angles – See Pressure Angle
oCam Radius-of-Curvature.
You can plot Radii-of-Curvature for Cam 1 and Cam 2.
oContact Cam-Force
oMaximum Contact-Shear-Stress.
You must know the material-properties to obtain this data. See Cam Display and Properties dialog-box.

After you link a Force-Data FB to a:

oPin-Joint with a Motor, you can plot Motor Drive Torque.
oSlide-Joint with a Motor, you can plot Motor Drive Linear Force
oJoint without a Motor, plot
▪Total Force [ FT = √(FX2 + FY2), or
▪Force along the X-coordinate of a Point: FX
▪Force along the Y-coordinate of a Point: FY
o2D-Cam: you can plot the Cam Contact Force
oSpring FB: you can plot the Total Force, the X Force and the Y Force acting on the Point.

Note:

To show Position, Velocity and Acceleration available from one connector of a FB that is listed above, then drag a wire from the same output-connector of the FB to different input-connectors on the Graph FB.

Tutorial and Reference Help Files for MechDesigner and MotionDesigner 13.2 + © Machine, Mechanism, Motion and Cam Design Software by PSMotion Ltd