IP communication eases camera integration

PPT Vision has added the Ethernet/IP communication protocol to its Impact family of intelligent cameras.

PPT Vision has added the Ethernet/IP communication protocol to its Impact family of intelligent cameras.

Now available in the entire Impact family, including the Impact T-series intelligent camera family and the Impact C-series machine vision microsystem family, EtherNet/IP enables seamless integration with a broad range of third party industrial products for data sharing and expanded I/O.

"Impact is the industry's first economical, self-contained vision product with all the features of a full scale-vision system", explained Joe Christenson, President of PPT Vision.

"The addition of EtherNet/IP tools enables our machine vision products to integrate easily with commercial off-the-shelf Ethernet/IP-enabled devices".

Christenson added that Ethernet/IP is a natural extension for the product line because the Impact products are already programmed and deployed using Ethernet technologies.

EtherNet/IP is available immediately in PPT Vision's Inspection Builder 6.1 software which can be downloaded from the company's website.

The software features the latest innovations in image processing technology plus a broad range of tools for deploying complete inspection solutions in the factory environment.

Ethernet/IP enhances Inspection Builder by extending data communications between Impact cameras and a broad range of industrial products such as PLCs and sensors.

Unlike many industrial Ethernet fieldbuses, EtherNet/IP uses an open protocol at the application layer, and because of its nonproprietary characteristics, has widespread support from multiple vendors and organisations including, ControlNet International (CI), the Industrial Ethernet Association (IEA) and the Open DeviceNet Vendor Association (ODVA), among others.

online virtual demonstrations of the Impact Inspection Builder software are available on the PPT Vision website.

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