New communications software for connecting vision systems to Allen-Bradley control products

Assembly Automation

ISSN: 0144-5154

Article publication date: 1 December 1999

95

Keywords

Citation

(1999), "New communications software for connecting vision systems to Allen-Bradley control products", Assembly Automation, Vol. 19 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.1999.03319daf.014

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited


New communications software for connecting vision systems to Allen-Bradley control products

Keywords Machine vision, Fieldbus

Cognex, a leading supplier of machine vision systems and preferred global supplier of vision systems to Rockwell Automation's customers, today introduced VisionLinxTM, a communications software package for connecting Cognex Checkpoint 900 Series machine vision systems to Rockwell's Allen-Bradley control products (Plate 14).

Plate 14 VisionLinx is a communications software package from Cognex Corp. that simplifies the process of connecting Checkpoint 900 machine vision systems to Allen-Bradley control products. As shown here, the software features easy-to-use, menu-driven dialogues, enabling users to set communications parameters such as buffers and PLC addresses

VisionLinx is significant because, for the first time, users can configure communications between a machine vision system and Allen-Bradley PLCs, SLCs, and SoftLogix controllers quickly and easily within a single, easy-to-use, point-and-click user interface. The software, which runs on the checkpoint vision processor, features menu-driven dialogues that help simplify the process of setting up communications parameters such as buffers and PLC/SLC destination addresses. Additionally, it is able to transit data from Checkpoint over a wide range of factory automation networks including ControlNet, Data Highway Plus, Ethernet, and DF1.

"Connecting a vision system to Allen-Bradley control products has traditionally required the user to develop customised code to establish a connection", said Colin Graves, sales manager of Cognex UK. "VisionLinx was developed to give users the ability to connect to these products over a variety of networks from a single, easy-to-use software environment, thereby easing the integration of Cognex machine vision into their lines and reducing development time."

VisionLinx provides great flexibility in configuring the flow of data between Checkpoint and Allen-Bradley control products. For example, it enables data to be shared bi-directionally, so, for instance, a PLC can send a signal to Checkpoint to initiate an inspection and Checkpoint can return results to the PLC. The software also helps users manage communications by addressing data from the vision system to specific data tables or "memory locations" within a PLC. For example, in an automated inspection application, a fail signal from Checkpoint may be sent to the memory location in the PLC that triggers a reject mechanism, while measurement data may be sent to a data table used for process control.

For further information, please contact: Colin Graves, Cognex UK, Chancery House, 199 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes, MK9 1JL, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1908 206000; Fax: +44 (0) 1980 392463; E-mail: cgraves@cognex.com

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