Ethernet/IP

This document outlines the Ethernet/IP data structure exchanged between the PLC application and the PLC. It also explains the structure of commands sent from the PLC to the PLC application.

EDS File for EtherNet/IP

The EDS file for the EtherNet/IP interface can be downloaded directly from the VPU’s web interface when the device is powered.

By default, you can access it via your browser at:

http://192.168.0.69/

Note

Replace the IP address if the VPU has been configured with a different one.

Assemblies

  • Assembly 100: Commands sent to the VPU.

  • Assembly 101: Command responses from the VPU.

  • Assembly 110: Cyclic data (ODS without polar occupancy data, PDS, and diagnostic data).

  • Assembly 111: ODS polar occupancy grid.

Assembly connections are configured as follows:

  • Assembly 101: listen-only or input-only

  • Assembly 110: listen-only or input-only

  • Assembly 111: listen-only or input-only

The following connection pairs are available, but only one can be active per PLC application (mutually exclusive):

  • Assembly 100 + Assembly 101 (exclusive owner)

  • Assembly 100 + Assembly 110 (exclusive owner)

  • Assembly 100 + Assembly 111 (exclusive owner)

Assembly 100

The structure of Assembly 100 is described as follows:

byte

0-1

2-3

4-25

description

command word

ticket number

command data

Command word Only one command can be set at a time within the command word field. The available command bits are:

Bit

Description

0

reserved

1

reserved

2

reserved

3

reserved

4

reserved

5

reserved

6

reserved

7

reserved

8

reserved

9

ODS – Activation of the overhanging load region

10

ODS – Selection of the Zone Set

11

ODS – Setting maximum Height

12

PDS – GetPallet

13

PDS – GetItem

14

PDS – GetRack

15

PDS – VolCheck

Ticket number The ticket number can be in the range from 1000 to 9999 and can be used to check the result output of which command for timinig critical tasks like PDS espicially if same command is sent with different command data.

Command data The content of the command data section depends on the command word and is defined in the following sections.

Name

Command description

Command size

Command type

ODS overhanging load

Bitmask for the overhanging load selection

2

uint16

ODS Selection of the Zone

The index of the preset to select

2

uint16

ODS Setting the maximum height

The height in mm

2

uint16

PDS getPallet

ApplicationId: Position in the PDS application list of the application selected for configuration [0..1]

2

uint16

DepthHint: Estimated distance between pallet and calibrated coordinate system center in [millimeters]. Set to <=0 for automatic detection

2

int16

PalletIndex: Index of the pallet parameter set [0..9]

2

int16

PalletOrder: 0->scoreDescending, 1->zDescending, 2->zAscending, 3 ->yDescending, 4 -> yAscending

2

int16

PDS getItem

Available upon request

PDS getRack

ApplicationId: Position in the PDS application list of the application selected for configuration [0..1]

2

uint16

HorizontalDropPosition: Selection of the horizontal drop setting: 0->left, 1->center, 2->right

2

uint16

VerticalDropPosition: Selection of the vertical drop setting: 0->interior, 1->floor

2

uint16

DepthHint: Estimated distance between rack and coordinate system center in [millimeters]

2

uint16

ZHint: Estimated z-coordinate of the rack shelf in [millimeters]

2

uint16

ClearingVolumeXMin: Minimum x-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for obstacles

2

uint16

ClearingVolumeXMax: Maximum x-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for obstacles

2

uint16

ClearingVolumeYMin: Minimum y-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for obstacles

2

uint16

ClearingVolumeYMax: Maximum y-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for obstacles

2

uint16

ClearingVolumeZMin: Minimum z-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for obstacles

2

uint16

ClearingVolumeZMax: Maximum z-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for obstacles

2

uint16

PDS volCheck

ApplicationId: Position in the PDS application list of the application selected for configuration [0..1]

2

uint16

VolumeXMin: Minimum x-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for pixels

2

uint16

VolumeXMax: Maximum x-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for pixels

2

uint16

VolumeYMin: Minimum y-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for pixels

2

uint16

VolumeYMax: Maximum y-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for pixels

2

uint16

VolumeZMin: Minimum z-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for pixels

2

uint16

VolumeZMax: Maximum z-coordinate in [millimeters] of the volume which will be checked for pixels

2

uint16

Assembly 101

The device uses Assembly 101 as a back channel to the PLC. It is used to confirm the execution of a command and to report any errors that occurred during execution.

byte

0-1

2-3

4-7

8-15

description

message counter

command word for mirroring

command error codes

command response currently no responses are defined. Therefore it is reserved for future use.

Command Error Codes for Assembly 101

Name

Value

Description

EIP_ERROR_NO_ERROR

0

No command error

EIP_ERROR_CMD_UNKNOWN

1

Unknown command

EIP_ERROR_CMD_FAILED

2

Command processing was unsuccessful

EIP_ERROR_CMD_DATA_INVALID

3

Invalid data given for the command

EIP_ERROR_TOO_MANY_CMDS

4

Too many commands executed

General Reply to an Implemented Command

If the command is implemented, the data in the data section is valid, and no error occurs during execution, the producing assembly must be updated as follows:

  • Increment the message counter by 1

  • Mirror the command bits from the consuming assembly

  • Set the command error codes to 0

  • Fill the command response if applicable, otherwise set it to 0

Reply to an Implemented Command That Fails

If execution of the command results in an error, the producing assembly must contain:

  • Message counter incremented by 1

  • Command bits mirrored from the consuming assembly

  • Command error code set accordingly

  • Command response section set to 0

Command Execution via Assemblies 100 and 101

ass1001-100

  • Initialization: All assembly buffers are set to 0 on startup.

  • Single Command Trigger: A single bit transition from 0 → 1 triggers the corresponding command, using the data section. The PLC needs to keep the bit set until the VPU reflects the command in the Command word mirror in the Assembly 101.

  • Multiple Bit Changes: Multiple simultaneous 0 → 1 transitions are treated as an error.

  • Command Reset: The PLC must reset the command bit from 1 → 0 before issuing a new command. The device will reset the command mirror and increment the message counter.

  • Client Disconnect: If the client disconnects during the handshake process, it is aborted and all buffers are reset.

For understanding the point above please refer to this scheme representing the command word from the assembly 100 and 101

ass1001-100

  • Successful Execution:

    • Message counter incremented

    • Command bits mirrored

    • Error code set to 0

    • Response set if available, else 0

  • Execution Error:

    • Message counter incremented

    • Command bits mirrored

    • Error code set

    • Response section set to 0

  • Unimplemented Command:

    • Treated as an error

    • Message counter incremented

    • Command bits mirrored

    • Error code set

    • Response section set to 0

Assembly 110

This assembly defines the cyclic data received from the PLC application. It includes ODS data and/or data from up to two PDS applications.

Field

Size (Bytes)

Type

Description

Message counter

2

uint16

Message counter

Generic PLC Ethernet Result Frame

288

Generic PLC Ethernet Result, without “Polar occupancy grid”

The Generic PLC Ethernet Result Frame is structured as follows. Each frame contains five main elements:

  1. Header

  2. ODS data

  3. PDS data from PDS app 1

  4. PDS data from PDS app 2

  5. Diagnostic data

  6. PLC application group severity

Frame Fields

Starting from firmware version 1.21.6, the protocol version used for the result frame is v3.1.

Field Size (Bytes) Type Description
Protocol Version 2 uint16 High byte: major version (incompatible across versions)
Low byte: minor version (compatible within same major)
Actual version is 3.1
Size 2 uint16 Total size of this frame in bytes
Actual size 288 bytes
ODS result data 22 see the ODS result data description For EIP, this data packet is misaligned (MessageCounter) and its internal ordering fixes the alignment.
PDS result data for first PDS app 48 see the PDS result data description
PDS result data for second PDS app 48 see the PDS result data description
Diagnostic Counter 4 uint16[2] 2 bytes: the current diagnostic slice counting from zero.
2 bytes: the total amount of diagnostic slices.
Diagnostic Data 160 DiagData data[20] The rolling diagnostic information. If there is no diagnostic information, the Diagnostic slice counter is set to zero and the Diagnostic Data is filled with zeros. An array of 20 diagnostic data structs is available.

DiagData Struct Details:

Field Type Description
Source uint16
  • 0 - 6: port0 ... port6
  • 100 - 119: app0 ... app19
  • 255: other
Severity uint8
  • 1: no_incident
  • 2: info
  • 3: minor
  • 4: major
  • 5: critical
Diagnostic ID uint32 0:no diagnostic event. For Diagnostic event IDs and descriptions please refer this page.
Severity 2 uint16 Application diagnostic severity state of PLC app, with these possible values:

  • 1: no_incident
  • 2: info
  • 3: minor
  • 4: major
  • 5: critical
  • 6: not available (application instance not existing)

ODS result data

Field

Size (Bytes)

Type

Description

Result age indicator

2

uint16

Indicates whether the ODS data was received from the ODS application (0 if received, otherwise incremented).
0 if ODS data was received from the ODS applications, If no new data is present for the next PLC app frame, the value is increased, If the value reaches 255, it will not reset. It will stay at 255 until new data is received, If no previous ODS data is available, it will indicate 255.

Severity

2

uint16

Application diagnotic severity state of corresponding ODS app, with these possible values:

  • 1: no_incident
  • 2: info
  • 3: minor
  • 4: major
  • 5: critical
  • 6: not available (application instance not existing)

    		•

    Zone status flags

    6

    uint16 [3]

    Zone status flags (3 UINT, 0: zone free, 1: zone occupied)

    Zone config ID

    4

    uint32

    32-bit integer representing the zone configuration ID.

    Time Stamp

    8

    uint32[2]

    Time stamp of the ODS algorithm result. VPU time (including NTP if configured).

    PDS result data

    Field

    Size (Bytes)

    Type

    Description

    Result age indicator

    2

    uint16

    Indicates whether PDS data was received from the PDS application (0 if received, otherwise incremented).
    0 if PDS data was received from the PDS application, If no new data is present for the next PLC app frame, the value is increased, If the value reaches 255, it will not reset. It will stay at 255 until new data is received, If no previous output of PDS is available, it will indicate 255.

    Severity

    2

    uint16

    Application diagnotic severity state of corresponding PDS app, with these possible values:

  • 1: no_incident
  • 2: info
  • 3: minor
  • 4: major
  • 5: critical
  • 6: not available (application instance not existing)

    		•

    PDS command ID

    2

    uint16

    The ID of the PDS command of this response data:
    02200: get pallet,
    02201: get item,
    02202: get rack,
    02203: volume check.

    Ticket

    2

    uint16

    The unique ID of the command, sent back to the PLC for book keeping:
    0: default value, the command was not issued py the PLC,
    nonzero: PCIC ticket id for commands coming via PCIC, or of command data.

    Timestamp

    8

    uint64 for TCP/IP, uint32[2] for EIP

    Time stamp of the PDS algorithm result. VPU time (including NTP if configured).

    Response

    32

    uint8[32] for PLC, uint16[16] for EIP

    The PDS Result for the given command. padded with zeros, this can be one of:
    Get pallet result data
    Get rack result data
    Volume check result data.
    For EtherNet/IP, the EDS provides a datatype unit16[16] for these values.
    Get pallet result data

    Field

    Size (Bytes)

    Type

    Description

    DetectionValid

    2

    int16

    Boolean flag: 0 indicates an invalid detection, 1 indicates valid results. The flag shall be zero if numDetectedPallets from the getPallet output is zero, or if an error occurred.

    PalletIndex

    2

    int16

    Index of the parameter set which was used to detect the pallet.

    CenterX

    2

    int16

    X-Coordinate of the Center Block [millimeters].

    CenterY

    2

    int16

    Y-Coordinate of the Center Block [millimeters].

    CenterZ

    2

    int16

    Z-Coordinate of the Center Block [millimeters].

    LeftPocketX

    2

    int16

    X-Coordinate of the Left Pocket [millimeters].

    LeftPocketY

    2

    int16

    Y-Coordinate of the Left Pocket [millimeters].

    LeftPocketZ

    2

    int16

    Z-Coordinate of the Left Pocket [millimeters].

    RightPocketX

    2

    int16

    X-Coordinate of the Right Pocket [millimeters].

    RightPocketY

    2

    int16

    Y-Coordinate of the Right Pocket [millimeters].

    RightPocketZ

    2

    int16

    Z-Coordinate of the Right Pocket [millimeters].

    Roll

    2

    int16

    Pallet’s rotation about the x-axis [milliradians].

    Pitch

    2

    int16

    Pallet’s rotation about the y-axis [milliradians].

    Yaw

    2

    int16

    Pallet’s rotation about the z-axis [milliradians].
    Get rack result data

    Field

    Size (Bytes)

    Type

    Description

    DetectionValid

    2

    int16

    Boolean flag: 0 indicates an invalid detection, 1 indicates valid results.

    PositionX

    2

    int16

    X-Coordinate of the rack position [millimeters].

    PositionY

    2

    int16

    Y-Coordinate of the rack position [millimeters].

    PositionZ

    2

    int16

    Z-Coordinate of the rack position [millimeters].

    Roll

    2

    int16

    Rotation of the rack about the x-axis [milliradians].

    Pitch

    2

    int16

    Rotation of the rack about the y-axis [milliradians].

    Yaw

    2

    int16

    Rotation of the rack about the z-axis [milliradians].

    NumPixels

    4

    uint32

    Number of pixels inside the clearing volume.

    AnchoredSide

    2

    int16

    0 -> left, 1 -> center (should never happen), 2 -> right.

    Flags

    2

    int16

    Bitmask, encoding the detection status bits (O3R-13130).
    Volume check result data

    Field

    Size (Bytes)

    Type

    Description

    NumPixels

    4

    uint32

    Number of pixels inside the volume.

    nearestX

    4

    int32

    Smallest x-coordinate inside the volume (derived from quantile) [millimeters].

    Assembly 111

    The Polar Occupancy Grid Frame has a fixed size of 1400 bytes.

    Field

    Size (Bytes)

    Type

    Description

    Message counter

    2

    uint16

    The message counter is incremented with each message sent via the producing assembly, starting from a value of 1. Once the maximum value is reached, the counter wraps around and restarts at 1.

    Result Age Indicator

    2

    uint16

    Indicates whether data was received from the PLC application (0 if received, otherwise incremented)

    Timestamp high

    4

    uint32

    High 2 bytes of timestamp, VPU time (including NTP if configured)

    Timestamp low

    4

    uint32

    Low 2 bytes of timestamp, VPU time (including NTP if configured)

    Severity

    2

    uint16

    ODS application severity values are mapped to numeric values as follows:
    no_incident is mapped to 1
    info is mapped to 2
    minor is mapped to 3
    major is mapped to 4
    critical is mapped to 5
    not_available is mapped to 6

    Reserved

    36

    uint16[18]

    Reserved for future status information

    Polar Occupancy Grid

    1350

    uint16[675]

    Distance to nearest object in mm Angle resolution ≈ 0.53° (360°/675). For more informations see this documentation