Date: 2023-12-13

Document version: 2.0

Valid for: All robots and MiR Fleet

Valid for software version: 2.10.3 and higher

Valid for hardware version: All

This guide describes how to use the different zones available in the map editor in the robot interface and provides various examples of their usage.

Adding zones to the map helps organize robot traffic. There are several different zones that can optimize the preferred paths and driving behavior of the robot.

Before creating zones, you must have an accurate map of the area where your MiR robots will operate. To create a new map, see the guide How to create maps. You can find this guide on MiR Support Portal.

Zones are often used in conjunction with other zones, so although this guide is divided into sections covering each zone, there will be examples of how to use zones in combination with other zones throughout the guide.

There are differences in the use of zones for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide describes the differences and provides instructions for both versions. Make sure to read the section titles to see which instructions apply for your software version.

This guide contains the following sections:

Creating a zone

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

To create a zone, go to Setup > Maps, and select Edit  for the map you want to add zones to.

In software 2.x, you start by selecting the type of zone you want to make, and then you draw a new line or draw a new shape. In software 3.x, the process is the other way around:

In the toolbar, you can either select Draw a new line or Draw a new shape.

Draw a new shape

Select Draw a new shape, and then select the type of zone you want to draw. A dialog box appears with settings for the selected zone.

You create the zone by selecting the corners of the area where you want the zone to be. The space between the selected points is automatically filled when you set more than two points. You can drag the points to rearrange the shape of the zone.

Change the settings of the zone in the dialog box to customize to your needs. Then select Create in the dialog box to save the zone.

Draw a new line

Select Draw a new line, and then select the type of zone you want to draw. A dialog box appears with settings for the selected zone.

You make a zone by selecting points on the map that are connected by a continuous line. Change the line width of the zone in the dialog box to customize to your needs. Then select Create in the dialog box to save the zone.

General advice

Only use zones when needed, and only use as many zones as needed. Too many zones can complicate a map unnecessarily.

Give the zones meaning names so they are always easy to recognize and locate.

Be aware that zones only take effect on a robot when the robot's center reaches the zone. Forbidden zones are an exception as they prevent any of the robot's footprint from entering the zone.

Avoid overlapping the following zones:

• Preferred and unpreffered zones

• Forbidden zones and Critical zones - only for software 2.x
  This will cause the robot to ignore the Forbidden zone and it will plan and drive through it.

Floor zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

When mapping, the floor is created automatically. The floor on the map marks the areas where the robot is able to drive. You can use a Floor zone to the existing floor if there are areas where the floor is missing.

In some cases, this can increase the robot performance significantly, because the robot then spends less time analyzing the areas where the floor is missing.

Directional zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

Directional zones let you organize the motion of robots by specifying the direction the robots can move in the zone.

Robots do not consider Directional zones as Preferred zones; they only put a limitation on the motion of robots.

When you create a Directional zone, you specify the direction the robot must drive in the zone, and the map shows the direction with arrows drawn on the zone.

When a robot is in a Directional zone, the following rules apply to the motion of the robot:

• Software 2.x only
  The robot is not allowed to move in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow.

• Software 3.x only

  The robot is allowed to turn on the spot in a Directional zone.

• The robot can move perpendicular to the direction of the arrow or at any angle less than 90° to the arrow.

Overlapping directional zones

We recommend avoiding overlapping Directional zones, unless necessary.

If Directional zones overlap in a certain area, the allowed motion directions in the area are the sum of allowed directions of all overlapping zones.

For example: The image below shows the robot going through Directional zones (Z1 and Z2) to the position on the left. In the Directional zone Z2, the robot can move in directions shown by the green arrows (1). The path goes straight up through zone Z2.

In the image below, there is a third Directional zone (Z3). The zone has the direction pointing upward and allows the robot to move in the directions shown by the green arrows (2). In the area where zone Z3 overlaps with zone Z2, the robot can move in the directions shown by the green arrows (3).

Notice that in the area where zones Z3 and Z2 overlap, the path tilts to the left. This is because the allowed directions of zones Z3 and Z2 sum up.

Positions in Directional zones

Software 2.x only

If you place any position inside a Directional zone or close to the border, make sure to orient it so it is pointing in a direction that the robot can plan according to the zone.

If a position is oriented against the direction of the zone, the robot may try to drive to the position in reverse to ensure it is not oriented against the Directional zone, or the robot will fail to plan a path to the position.

Path planning and handling obstacles

The robot plans its path so that it does not go against the directions in Directional zones.

For example, in the image below, the robot plans the path from one position to another and takes the appropriate lane (zone 1).

Software 2.x only

When driving in long passages with Directional zones, robots may encounter dynamic obstacles that block their way. To avoid long detours or path planner failure, the robot can drive in Directional zones with opposite directions for a maximum distance of 3.5 m, but only if encountering a dynamic obstacle.

For example: The image below shows the robot encountering a dynamic obstacle (3) while driving through the Directional zone (1). The robot estimates whether it can drive around the obstacle by driving into zone 2. The robot finds a path through zone 2 and drives through it. When the robot drives into zone 2, it tries to return to zone 1 as soon as possible.

Software 3.x only

Use the setting Drive against Directional zones when replanning in System > Settings > Planner. Enabling this allows the robot to drive against nearby Directional zones when replanning its path after being blocked.

Corridors

When a robot drives down a long corridor, it places itself in the middle of the corridor by default. If another robot is coming from the opposite direction, the two robots may block each others' way. To solve this issue, create a configuration for robots with two lanes using opposite Directional zones and a thin Forbidden zone in between as a lane separator—see Forbidden zones.

For optimal performance, the width of each lane should exceed the robot footprint width by 40%.

With this configuration, a robot going through the passage takes the designated lane and does not get in the way of robots going in the opposite direction.

If you place small directional zones at the entry and exit of a corridor, the whole corridor becomes directional. This can help the robot navigate better around obstacles in the corridor.

Passages with permanent obstacles

This example describes how to configure Directional zones in an area with a narrow passage and an obstacle (1) in it:

The conditions for this example are:

• The passage has two lanes going in opposite directions. There is an obstacle in one of the lanes. The width of the obstacle is at least 60% of the lane width.

• Robots must keep to the right when going through the passage.

• Multiple robots going in opposite directions should be able to pass the obstacle without creating congestion.

To configure Directional zones in an area with a narrow passage and an obstacle (1) in it, create lane separators in the passage using Forbidden zones—see Forbidden zones—a Directional zone (3) in the lane with the obstacle, and a Directional zone (4) in the other lane. Add extra points on the shape, and create a cutout in the location with the obstacle. The cutout must be large enough to let the robot driving in zone 3 drive around the obstacle without driving in zone 4.

With this configuration, robots can drive around the obstacle in the lane.

This area can cause a bottleneck if it is heavily trafficked. To avoid congestions you can add a Limit-robots zone and limit the number of allowed robots to one—see Limit-robots zones.

With this configuration, only one robot passes the obstacle at a time, and robots do not block each others' paths.

T-intersection

This example describes how to organize robot traffic in a t-intersection.

The conditions for this example are:

• There is a t-intersection. Each arm of the intersection is wide enough for two robots to drive side by side.

• When driving through passages, robots must keep to the right side of the passage.

• Multiple robots must be able to pass the intersection without creating congestions.

Using Forbidden zones, create lane separators in the arms of the intersection. In the two intersection arms that form one road, create two Directional zones (zones 1 and 2), and in the third arm, create two Directional zones (zones 3 and 4). The behavior of the robots in the intersection depends on whether zones 3, 4 and 1, 2 overlap or not—see Overlapping directional zones.

When multiple robots drive through the intersection, they may get in each others' way and create congestion.

To limit the number of robots near the obstacle and avoid congestions, create a Limit-robots zone on the intersection.

This ensures that only one robot enters the intersection at a time and that robots, therefore, do not block each others' paths.

You could also consider adding a Speed zone set with a low speed in the intersection.

This makes it less likely that robots will collide with, for example, trucks and forklifts in the intersection.

Preferred zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

Preferred zones are used to make the robot more likely to plan its global path through certain areas. When the robot plans its global path it will try to make the path go through the Preferred zones. The robot will still use its local planner to avoid obstacles, even if it makes the robot drive outside of the Preferred zone.

The robot will prefer to have the whole footprint inside the zone.

For example, you can use Preferred zones to make the robot drive in the middle of a lane or more to the right or left of a lane.

Drive near walls

In areas with many dynamic obstacles, it is a good idea to steer the robot away from the obstacles to avoid the robot waiting unnecessarily for obstacles to pass or making unnecessary routes around obstacles and to avoid the robot itself being in the way of traffic.

In this example, a Preferred zone is used to make the robot drive near the walls when possible in an area with many dynamic obstacles.

Use Unpreffered zones where you do not want the robot to drive.

Unpreferred zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

Unpreferred zones are the exact opposite of Preferred zones. The robot will only plan its global path into Unpreferred zones if it has no other choice.

The robot will prefer to have the whole footprint outside the zone.

For example, they can be used in a work area with lots of activity and dynamic obstacles to guide the robot away from busy areas. In this case, the robot only drives into these areas if all other paths are blocked.

Unpreferred zones are often used in conjunction with Preferred zones.

Many positions close to each other

In this example, many robot positions are placed close to each other. The positions are placed in Unpreferred zones to avoid robots driving over them, potentially blocking them for other robots driving to that position. The robot will drive into an Unpreferred zone if you send it to a position or marker within the zone. A Preferred zone is used to guide the robot to follow a path between the positions.

Guiding traffic

In this example, Preferred and Unpreferred zones are used to restrict the traffic to one lane but allowing the robot to drive in the other lane if there are no other options.

Driving straight or in narrow corridors

In this example, Unpreferred zones are used to make sure the robot parks as straight as possible on a position and drives as straight as possible in a lane.

Forbidden zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

Robots will always navigate around Forbidden zones the same way they avoid static and dynamic obstacles. Use Forbidden zones everywhere you don’t want the robots to go under any circumstances, for example in areas where forklifts, machinery, or pallets are parked.

Staircases and holes

The robot's sensors cannot detect descending staircases or holes in the floor. To avoid the robot driving down staircases or holes, use Forbidden zones to ensure that the robot does not drive there.

In the example below, the area around a staircase is marked as a Forbidden zone.

Unused areas

Areas that are marked as Forbidden zones are not considered by the robot when it is generating a global path. To improve path planning and CPU usage, it is a good idea to use Forbidden zones in all areas where the robot does not need to operate, especially if the robot's map of the area is very large. This will reduce the processing time required to generate a global map because the robot will have a smaller area that it needs to determine a path through.

Transparent and reflective walls

If there are glass walls or walls made of highly reflective material in your site, the robot's safety laser scanners may not be able to detect them. If the robot cannot detect the walls, they should not be marked as a wall in the robot's map. Do not map any reflective surface.

To ensure that the robot does not drive into transparent or reflective walls, use Forbidden zones to draw the walls instead. This will prevent the robot from driving into the walls without affecting the robot's ability to navigate.

The image to the left below is an example where a transparent wall has first been drawn on the map as a wall. Notice that the robot's sensors are not detecting the wall in front of it. In the image to the right, the wall has been replaced with a Forbidden zone. This is the correct way to mark objects that the robot cannot detect and should not drive into.

Transparent wall marked as wall	Trasparent wall marked with a Forbidden zone

Low hanging fixtures

The robot's laser scanners can only detect objects that are in a plane at 200 mm height from the ground, and the 3D cameras can only detect objects in front of the robot. This means there is a risk that the robot will reverse into low hanging fixtures that are above 200 mm from the floor and outside the field of view of the 3D cameras. To avoid the robot or its load colliding with low hanging fixtures, use Forbidden zones to mark the area with the fixture.

In the images below, there is a low hanging fixture that can only be detected by the 3D cameras. In the image to the left, the robot detects the fixture and will drive around it. Notice in the image that there are no red lines and only a purple cloud around the fixture. This indicates that the safety laser scanners cannot detect the fixture, only the 3D camera can.

In the image to the right, the robot is not detecting the fixture because the fixture is outside the field of view of the cameras. If the robot begins to reverse it will collide with the low hanging fixture. You must mark the area as a Forbidden zone to avoid this.

Fixture detected	Fixture not detected

Depending on your current setting for Obstacle clearing, the robot may remember low hanging obstacles even though it cannot detect them with the camera currently.

Access zones

Software 3.x only

Access zones should be used to mark areas where the robot can expect to detect an obstacle but should not take the obstacle into account when planning a global path. In most cases this is relevant for obstacles that will disappear when the robot gets closer, such as automatic doors and ramps. Access zones should be placed on areas on the map that contains obstacles that the robot should disregard.

Driving up ramps

If a ramp is steep enough that the robot detects it as an obstacle, the robot may refuse to plan its path up the ramp.

To avoid this, create a small Access zone at the bottom of the ramp where the robot detects the ramp as an obstacle. The Access zone will enable the robot to drive up the ramp.

Once the robot is on the ramp, the Access zone is no longer necessary as the robot will be on the same plane as the ramp and will no longer see it as an obstacle.

In the following image, the ramp is the area with the green border. An Access zone has been added to the bottom of the ramp, enabling the robot to drive to the robot position without issues.

Automatic doors

If you have automatic doors that require the robot to drive very near before opening, you can use Access zones to enable the robot to drive close enough to activate the door and travel through.

In the example below, the robot can detect the closed door. The Access zone enables the robot to continue along its global path until it is close enough to the door to activate it.

Critical zones

Software 2.x only

Critical zones allow the global planner to plan routes that bring the robot closer to obstacles than it usually would permit.

In the active map in the robot interface, the purple clouds that are displayed indicate obstacles that the robot is detecting when navigating (if there are also red markings on the cloud it means that the obstacle has been detected by the laser scanners). When planning a global path, the robot is not permitted to plan its path through the purple clouds unless there is a Critical zone in that area.

Critical zones permit the robot's global planner to disregard any purple clouds or other zones in that area. The Critical zone only affects the global planner, meaning the robot will still try to drive around obstacles in its path and will enter Protective stop if an obstacle gets too close.

Driving through narrow spaces

If you try to drive the robot through an area where the robot's footprint could fit, but the center of the robot has to pass through purple clouds, it would refuse to plan a global path through the narrow space. However, if you mark the area as a Critical zone, the robot's global planner will ignore the purple clouds and will drive the robot through the space.

To prevent the robot from driving too far to either side, it is a good idea to make the Critical zone as small as possible. Only the center point of the robot needs to be inside the zone.

Driving up ramps

If a ramp is steep enough that the robot detects it as an obstacle, the robot may refuse to plan its path up the ramp.

To avoid this, create a small Critical zone at the bottom of the ramp where the robot detects the ramp as an obstacle. The Critical zone will enable the robot to drive up the ramp.

Once the robot is on the ramp, the Critical zone is no longer necessary as the robot will be on the same plane as the ramp and will no longer see it as an obstacle.

In the following image, the ramp is the area with the green border. A Critical zone has been added to the bottom of the ramp, enabling the robot to drive to the robot position without issues.

Automatic doors

If you have automatic doors that require the robot to drive very near before opening, you can use Critical zones to enable the robot to drive close enough to activate the door and travel through.

In the example below, the robot can detect the closed door. The purple clouds would soon prevent the robot from driving much closer, but the Critical zone enables the robot to continue along its global path until it is close enough to the door to activate it.

Speed zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

In Speed zones, the robot slows down or increases its speed when driving in the zone.

In software 3.x, the robot will now enter the zone at the set speed for the zone, instead of waiting to change the speed once within the zone. This gives a more smooth transition when driving in Speed zones.

Speed zones overwrite any speed settings in a mission.

You can use Speed zones to reduce or increase the speed of your robot in certain areas of the map.

Operating hazard zones

Operating hazard zones are areas where there is insufficient space for personnel to avoid the robot safely or areas where personnel are at risk of injury. This can for example be narrow corridors or load transfer stations. For more information on operating hazard zones, see MiR Commissioning Guide.

Often you can mitigate many of the risks to personnel in an operating hazard zone by reducing the speed to the minimum. This happens automatically when robots are docking to markers, but in all other areas, you must use Speed zones to reduce the speed.

In the example below, there is very little space for personnel to pass by the robot if necessary. Personnel should be instructed not to enter the zone while the robot is there, but in case of a situation where personnel must be inside the zone with the robot, it can drive at its slowest speed to reduce the chance of serious injury.

You can also try to provide more room for any personnel within the operating hazard zone, by inserting a Preferred zone to one side of the corridor to encourage the robot to leave as much space as possible on the other side.

Slowing down at intersections

You may want your robot to drive at a reduced speed when it reaches intersections where there is a risk of collision due to reduced vision. You can mark all hazardous intersections with Speed zones to reduce the speed of the robot. You can also consider alerting personnel that a robot is approaching the intersection by combining the Speed zone with a Sound and light zone—see Sound and light zones.

Carrying heavy or motion-sensitive loads

If there is a certain route the robot travels while it is carrying a load where it would be better for the robot to travel slower than its default speed, mark the route with a Speed zone with reduced speed.

Cleared and straight areas

You may also want your robot to drive faster when it is driving straight along a path that is designated for robots only and only goes in one direction, meaning it is very unlikely the robot will have to avoid any obstacles.

In the example below, a one-way path has been made for robots to reach the VL-markers. The robot travels along the edge of the map where there are few other vehicles or personnel. The robot is set to travel at its maximum speed when driving straight but will slow down to its average speed around the corners.

Sound and light zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

In Sound and light zones, the robot blinks and/or makes a sound to alert nearby personnel.

Operating hazard zones

You can often mitigate many of the risks to personnel in an operating hazard zone by alerting personnel of the robot. You can use Sound and light zones to make the robot emit audio and visual signals that it is approaching or in the operating hazard zone.

Intersections

This zone can be used in areas where it is important that the robot announces its presence, for example when entering a new room through a doorway or when driving in areas with many people, or if the robot is nearing an intersection where it has to go left or right, as shown in the example below.

Notice of arrival

If you need to alert personnel that the robot has arrived within a certain area, for example if personnel need to remove the load from a robot, you can use a Sound and light zone to make the robot alert personnel that are responsible for unloading the robot that the robot is arriving.

Dark or obscured areas

If the robot operates in areas where it can be difficult to see the robot, it can be beneficial to use Sound and light zones to make the robot easier to see and hear.

Planner zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

Planner zones are used to change the robot's detection and driving behavior in a particular area.

In Planner zones, the robot can be set to ignore data from the laser scanners and localize with encoders, decrease the field of view to run smoothly in populated areas, set limits for how long time the robot has to wait or how far the robot has to deviate from its global path before creating a new one, and ignore obstacles.

After creating the zone, you will be prompted to program the behavior you want the robot to exhibit there. The type of Planner zones you can choose between are described in the following sections.

No-localization

We recommend to only use No-localization zones if it is strictly necessary. Ensure that the robot's encoders and wheel diameter is calibrated before using this type of zone.

In No-localization zones, the robot ignores input from its safety laser scanners and uses its motor encoders alone for navigation. The laser scanners are still active and are used to avoid obstacles.

No-localization zones are useful when driving in areas with very few static landmarks that can be used for localization, such as long corridors or large open areas where using the laser scanners to navigate might cause frequent localization errors.

If you create a No-localization zone in a large area, the robot's approximated position on the map may drift from its actual position as it drives through the zone. In this case, it's a good idea to break up the No-localization zones into smaller sections with small gaps—see the image below. This will give the robot a chance to localize itself properly as it leaves each No-localization zone.

Look-ahead

Look-ahead zones change the distance that the robot looks ahead for obstacles. The robot's default look-ahead distance is 3.0 m. This can be changed to a value between 0.0 and 3.0 m. The robot uses both the 3D cameras and the safety laser scanners to look ahead.

Look-ahead zones can be useful in crowded areas. Reducing the look-ahead distance can help the robot run more smoothly through such areas.

Look-ahead zones can also be used when the robot drives up a ramp. Placing a look-ahead zone that reduces the look-ahead distance at the start of the ramp can help the robot drive up the ramp. It is used in almost the same was as Critical zones on ramps—see Driving up ramps—except that the zone should be placed at the bottom of the ramp where the robot is located when it detects the ramp as an obstacle it cannot pass.

Waiting for obstacle (previously Path timeout)

Waiting for obstacle zones enable you to define the maximum time the robot's path can be blocked before it generates a new global path. This can be useful in areas where there are many dynamic obstacles that will often remove themselves from the robot's path if it just waits.

Maximum path deviation (previously Path deviation)

Maximum path deviation zones enable you to define the maximum distance in meters that the local path is allowed to deviate from the global path in the map before the robot makes a new global path. This can be useful in areas where the robot shouldn't stray far from the global path. This can, for example, be used with Preferred zones, to ensure that the robot follows the global path through the Preferred zone more strictly.

If the robot encounters an obstacle along its path, it will try to move around it. If it deviates further than the Maximum path deviation zone allows, it will create a new global path that will try to bring it back into the Preferred zone.

Ignore obstacles

The robot ignores any obstacles detected with the 3D cameras. This can be useful in areas with bright light, sunlight, or reflective floors, which might appear as phantom objects to the front camera, confusing the robot's ability to navigate successfully. The safety laser scanner system is still active.

You can also use this zone if you have a tall load or top module on the robot and the robot is operating in an area with low hanging objects that the load or top module is allowed to collide with, for example, curtains or brushes.

Obstacle history

Obstacle history determines how the robot clears the obstacle history from its memory. There are three settings for obstacle history clearing:

No clearing: The default setting where the robot remembers all obstacles and only clears if the area is free.

This setting produces the normal behavior of the robot and is intended for all environments, especially where the dynamic obstacles in the robot's path rarely change.

The purple cloud in the image below indicates a static object only seen by the cameras. The black lines indicate the field of view of the cameras.

In this mode, the robot will remember the obstacle history when an obstacle detected by the cameras is out of view of the cameras but will assume it is still there and make a new local plan to avoid it, if possible, or stop and wait for it to clear.

Clear in front of robot: The robot disables obstacle history in a cone shape in front of the robot, starting with the width of the footprint and increasing the width by 30 centimeters per meter until the end of the cameras' range.

This setting is intended for all driving configurations in environments where the robot's path is frequently interrupted by dynamic obstacles in motion, such as people walking by in front of the robot.

The purple cloud in the image below indicates a static object only seen by the cameras. The black lines indicate the field of view of the cameras. The dark gray cone indicates where the robot will clear the obstacle history as soon as the obstacle is out of view of the cameras.

Clear all: The robot disables obstacle history altogether and only avoids obstacles that it detects with its sensors while driving.

This setting is intended for driving in Line-following mode. That is, with little or no path deviation and a path timeout set to infinite waiting. It can also be used in environments where the robot's path is frequently interrupted by dynamic obstacles in motion, such as people walking in front of the robot.

The purple cloud in the image below indicates a static object only seen by the cameras. The black lines indicate the field of view of the cameras. In this mode, the robot will clear the obstacle history detected by the cameras as soon as the obstacle is out of view of the cameras.

I/O module zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

In I/O module zones, the robot activates an I/O module or a PLC register when entering the zone. An I/O module zone can be used instead of controlling I/O activation through a mission.

Electrical doors

I/O module zones can for example be used in front of doors to trigger a wise module or a PLC register. When the robot enters the zone, the door opens and the robot passes through.

Add an Access zone (Critical zone on software version 2.x) on top of the I/O module zone to ensure that the robot can plan a path through the closed doorway—see Automatic doors.

Load transfer stations

For some load transfer stations, you may want to use a zone to make the robot activate an external device when it enters the zone or activate a top module to prepare the robot for picking up or placing a load.

Activating a top module

If your robot uses a top module that should be active within a certain area that the robot operates in, use an I/O module zone to set the register or module to activate it.

In the example below the robot is equipped with a top module that disinfects the surrounding area when it is active. The top module must be active while it travels between the robot positions to fully disinfect the area.

Limit-robots zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

Limit-robots zones are used to limit the number of robots in a certain area. They only apply when robots are controlled by MiR Fleet. Only a set number of robots connected to MiR Fleet can be in the zone at the same time.

In all scenarios where there is a possibility of robots blocking each other, a Limit-robots zone can be useful. They can also be used to limit the traffic in areas.

Load transfer stations

Limit-robots zones are good to use in areas with load transfer stations where MiR250, MiR500, MiR600, MiR1000, and MiR1350 robots mute their personnel detection means.

When a robot undocks from load transfer stations such as pallet racks, they mute their personnel detection means. If another robot is docking to an adjacent transfer station, the robot's can enter a deadlock when the undocking robot activates its personnel detection means again.

To avoid this, you can place a Limit-robots zone just in front of the line of load transfer stations. This will make sure that when a robot is undocking there are no other robots nearby to trigger a Protective stop deadlock.

If you want other robots to be able to dock to stations even if other stations are occupied, make sure the markers are not inside the Limit-robots zone. It is only necessary for the docking and undocking area to be inside the zone.

Limit traffic through doorways and corridors

Limit-robots zones can also be used around doorways and other narrow passages where there is only room for a limited number of robots to pass at a time. Placing a Limit-robots zone here prevents robots from blocking each other.

In the example below, the robot inside the Limit-robots zone can freely drive through the doorway while the other robot waits for it to clear the zone. In the hallway to the right in the example below, there is also only room for one robot to travel through the hallway at a time. To prevent robots from trying to pass each other in the confined space, a Limit-robots zone is used.

Evacuation zones

Applicable for software 2.x and 3.x. This guide uses screenshots from software 3.x. There are small variations in the interface for software 2.x.

Evacuation zones make it possible to evacuate all robots in the Evacuation zone at once and send them to defined Emergency positions. They only apply when robots are controlled by MiR Fleet. Evacuation zones may be used in connection with, for example, fire alarms.

It is only possible to evacuate all Evacuation zones at once.

You evacuate the zones using the EVACUATE ALL ZONES button in the upper-right corner on the MiR Fleet interface.

An evacuation has two phases: evacuating and evacuated. A robot must be activated on the fleet and either in ready or executing state to be considered active for evacuation.

When an evacuation is activated, the fleet will go into the evacuating state. Active robots outside of evacuation zones will be paused. Active robots inside of an evacuation zone will have any mission they are running removed and be sent to an evacuation position where they will pause and generate an error log. If there are no reachable evacuation positions, the robots are instead paused on the spot. Positions are assigned to the nearest robot. If any robots become active while the fleet is evacuating, they will be treated as active robots by the fleet. Any evacuating robot that is interrupted by a user, either by resuming a robot paused by evacuation or by aborting an evacuation mission, will no longer be considered for evacuation.

When all robots have finished evacuating, or are no longer considered for evacuation, the fleet will go into the evacuated state and generate an error. In this state, robots will no longer be actively evacuated. The fleet will not send any fleet scheduled missions to robots while in the evacuating or evacuated states. To resume normal operation, user intervention is required. An authorized user must end the evacuation using either the fleet interface or via API. All paused robots must also manually be resumed. Robots that were in evacuation zones during the evacuation will not be able to recover their missions. However, all other robots will. Ending an evacuation before the evacuated state will still generate an error.

By default, all users with administrator permissions or above have permission to trigger or end an evacuation. You can restrict which user groups are allowed to control evacuations.

Evacuations can also be controlled and audited through the evacuations endpoint.

Evacuation zones should only be used in case of an emergency as all missions are discontinued.

There must be an Emergency position for each robot in the fleet.