I/O Tab
The " I/O" tab of the MERLIC RTE Setup enables you to set up a communication device for which MERLIC provides an I/O plug-in MERLIC provides two different types of plug-ins for the process integration: "communication plug-ins" and "I/O plug-ins".
Both can be configured in the MERLIC Runtime Environment Setup (MERLIC RTE Setup) but there are different requirements and restrictions for the configuration. I/O plug-ins can be configured in the "I/O" tab of the MERLIC RTE Setup. They can only be configured when MERLIC RTE is currently not running. In addition, the configuration is only possible on the local system. When using I/O plug-ins for the process integration, some further restrictions might apply depending on the used device.. You can get information about the device and configure the device for the process integration MERLIC can be used in machine vision systems that are integrated in a manufacturing machine. The machine controller, e.g., a programmable logic controller (PLC), must be able to control an integrated vision system, to monitor the execution, and to query the results. Therefore, MERLIC provides a process integration mode to enable the communication with a machine controller.
The process integration mode can be started with the application "MERLIC RTE" that is provided with the MERLIC installation.. MERLIC supports the use of Hilscher PCI cards, digital I/O devices, and camera devices with GenICam compliant digital I/O channels. MERLIC also provides a simulated PLC as a virtual device that can be used for simulations.
Requirements and Limitations
The "I/O" tab is currently only available if the MERLIC RTE Setup is connected to the local system. This means that only communication devices on the local system can be configured. If the MERLIC RTE Setup is connected to a remote system, the "I/O" tab is deactivated. However, the MERLIC RTE Setup enables you to quickly change to the local system with a single click on a button that will be displayed.
In addition, the configuration options and the overview in the "I/O" tab are only available if MERLIC RTE is not running. Thus, you have to make sure to stop MERLIC RTE before configuring communication devices in this tab.
The "I/O" tab is only available for the local system and if MERLIC RTE is currently not running.
Overview
On the left, you can check which devices are currently available for use and select the device you want to configure. If the device has been configured before, the latest configuration is loaded. If the configuration is valid, you can modify it. If the configuration is not valid, you can only remove it.
The configurations of digital I/O devices and camera devices with I/O channels are quite similar and can be performed exclusively in the "I/O" tab of the MERLIC RTE Setup. In case of Hilscher cards, the main configuration steps are performed beforehand in an external configuration software of Hilscher. The "I/O" tab represents the final configuration part for Hilscher cards. For more information, see Hilscher PCI Card.
Get More Information
You can find more information on the supported I/O devices and their setup in the following chapters:
