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Community Documents
There are many PLCs available on the market and most of them can somehow be connected to LabVIEW. And as many solutions are available as many problems can be found in the internet when users are trying to setup the communication between both components or are trying to split up the application between LabVIEW and the PLC.
Rexroth has published a new level of integration. With the Hermes Award winning Open Core Engineering, Bosch Rexroth provides a library for LabVIEW for the motion-logic system IndraMotion MLC, which contains more than 500 VIs for direct access to the PLC and the embedded logic, motion and robotic functionality.
As a result, setting up the communication is simple and the PLC-application can be reduced in many cases to the I/O-handling. All other functions can be programmed within the LabVIEW-application.
IndraMotion MLC – what is it?
IndraMotion MLC is a compact motion-logic system that gives you any freedom you wish for your consistent and modern machine automation. The system can be used for small test stands up to huge machines.
It contains
- Integrated runtime system with motion, robot and logic controls
- Extensive software libraries in conformity with IEC 61131-3 and PLCopen
- Innovative motion functions for complex motion sequences – single or multi-axes
- Intuitive engineering with the software framework IndraWorks
- Supports electrical, hydraulic and hybrid drives
IndraMotion MLC runs on the embedded control hardware IndraControl Lxx and IndraControl XM2x.
The picture below shows a typical machine architecture. It contains next to the motion-logic control periphery components like I/Os and different drives.
Open Core Interface
The Open Core Interface provides libraries for different operation systems like vxWorks, Windows, iOS and Android. It offers direct access to the motion logic firmware. The Open Core Interface can be used within LabVIEW by installing an add-on which is provided with the Open Core Interface software development kit (Open Core Interface-SDK). This extension package contains MLC-specific VIs which can be used in your application. Some of them are shown in the following pictures.
What is your benefit?
Since the motion-logic functionality can be used within LabVIEW users can stay mainly in their familiar development environment. This reduces the time to market and support effort.
Is there anything more?
For sure - YES! The possibilty to use the control functionalty within LabVIEW is only one aspect of the Open Core Interface. This interface can be used in many other use cases e.g. to create real-time capable applications (RT-APP) in C/C++ which are running on the control hardware in a real-time environment as well as to create Apps for your smart device like mobile phones or tablets and PCs. These Apps are all non-real-time apps (NRT-APP).
More information about Open Core Engineering can be found here:
opencore.engineering@boschrexroth.de
