Managing Slave Devices Operating Modes

Overview

The operating modes of slave devices are managed by the protocol manager with the following scanners and their dedicated libraries:

These libraries contain function blocks that allow you to:

  • Control the EtherNet/IP Scanner,

  • Manage cyclic data exchanges (implicit messages),

  • Manage the status variables,

  • Send non-cyclic data exchange requests (explicit messages).

Other libraries can be used depending on the devices.

Status Variables of the EtherNet/IP Scanner

There are no pre-configured status variables of the EtherNet/IP Scanner.

To visualize the health bit of the EtherNet/IP targets, you must use:

I/O Image Variables

The scanners collect and write data from/to the devices. These variables constitutes the I/O image.

Variables Addresses

Each variable gets its own address:

Variable

Type

Amount

I/O image variables

%IW for inputs

%QW for outputs

A table of words is created per channel/connection.

Function Blocks to Control the EtherNet/IP Scanner

EtherNet/IP Scanner library contains function blocks used by the application to communicate with the controller and the EtherNet/IP target devices:

  • EipDataExch: Send an explicit message to a device

  • EipControl: Start/Stop the connections of the EtherNet/IP Scanner

  • EipGetHealth: Read the health bit value

For more details, refer to EtherNet/IP Scanner.

Function Blocks for EtherNet/IP Explicit Messaging

EtherNet/IP Explicit Messaging library contains function blocks used by the application to send EtherNet/IP Explicit Messages:

  • Get_Attribute_All: Get All Attributes of an Object

  • Set_Attribute_All: Set All Attributes of an Instance or Class

  • Get_Attribute_Single: Get an Attribute of an Object

  • Set_Attribute_Single: Set a Class Attribute

  • EIPStartConnection: Start a Connection

  • EIPStartAllConnection: Start All Connections

  • EIPStopConnection: Stop a Connection

  • EIPStopAllConnection: Stop All Connections

  • EipGetHealth: Read the health bit value

For more details, refer to EtherNet/IP Explicit Messaging library.

Function Blocks to Control ATV and Lexium Devices

Use the PLC Open and other function blocks dedicated to drives to control ATV and Lexium devices. These function blocks can be accessed in the GMC Independent PLCopen MC library, GMC Independent Altivar library, and GMC Independent Lexium library. For more information, refer to the Motion Control Library Guide.

Bus Cycle Task

The protocol manager and the slave devices exchange data at each cycle of an application task.

The Bus Cycle Task parameter allows you to select the application task that manages the scanner:

  • Use parent bus cycle setting: associate the scanner with the application task that manages the controller.

  • MAST: associate the scanner with the MAST task.

  • Another existing task: you can select an existing task and associate it to the scanner.

For more information about the application tasks, refer to the EcoStruxure Machine Expert Programming Guide.