Vision-Guided Motion

Industry-standard Ethernet and TCP/IP technology has created an effective interface between DVT SmartImage Sensors and ORMEC motion controllers. The interface utilizes the Modbus TCP applications protocol to communicate over standard Ethernet TCP/IP machine control networks, and creates a simple, straightforward approach to implementing vision-guided motion applications.
ORMEC's family of ORION motion controllers and DVT Series 600 SmartImage Sensors both provide industry-standard hardware and software support for Ethernet TCP/IP communications. Now, both products also support the Modbus TCP applications protocol which adds specific communication options for factory and machine control networks. (Schneider Electric developed the Modbus TCP protocol, and many companies have adopted it since the details of the protocol have been published by Schneider Electric on the Internet.)
As a result, the interface between the ORMEC and DVT products is straightforward and simple. In DVT's FrameWork development software, variables related to the vision system are mapped to a selection of Modbus TCP registers. While in a corresponding MotionBASIC program in the ORMEC development software, variables are mapped to the same registers.
During operation, the ORION controller simply opens a communications channel to the DVT SmartSensor and requests information as needed --- creating a software interface between the two products that is elegant, fast and easy to implement.
Using the Ethernet TCP/IP interface is faster (10 megabits per second) than serial communications. It eliminates the need for extra code to parse and convert ASCII strings, and it makes it easier to interface the motion controller to multiple SmartImage Sensors.
The connection between the ORION controller, DVT 600 and a PC used for configuring both systems can be done using a single Ethernet hub. The PC attached to the hub runs MotionDesk from ORMEC and DVT's Framework software. The ORION controller can be programmed to open a Modbus TCP connection as a client. The DVT 600 powers up as a server of Modbus TCP data (Modbus slave). Modbus registers are updated inside the DVT system immediately after every inspection. The ORION controller can poll these registers at any time for the most recent inspection data

ORMEC Systems Corp., 19 Linden Park, Rochester, NY 14625-2712. Tel: 716-385-3520; Fax: 716-385-5999.