BECKHOFF DK9222-0211-0021 - Manual

I/O
XFC
Application Note DK9222-0211-0021
Keywords
EL1252
EL2212
EL2252
Time stamp
XFC
EtherCAT
Exact system time
eXtreme Fast Control
Process data
Time stamp – a snapshot of control technology
This application example describes how, using the Beckhoff XFC technology, the temporal resolution of
field signals for the controller is made several times more precise and, in addition, the validity of the
process data is released from the PLC cycle. The bases for these characteristics are the fast real-time
fieldbus EtherCAT and the time stamping features of the Beckhoff EL1252 and EL2252 digital input and
output terminals, whose process data contain the exact time specification of an event in addition to the
user data.
Introduction: XFC – eXtreme Fast Control
XFC is a control technology that enables very fast and highly deterministic I/O responses. It includes all hardware and software
components involved in control applications:
– optimized I/Os that can pick up signals with high accuracy or initiate tasks,
– EtherCAT as an extremely fast communication network,
– high-performance Industrial PCs as the basis for the control hardware
– TwinCAT, the automation software that links all system components with one another.
Contrary to the original free-running communication links, in which the determinism of the process signals was accordingly
inaccurate, the employment of XFC significantly lowers the cycle time and the determinism required for rigorous
real-time demands. XFC enables cycle times of 100 μs without sacrificing the centralized intelligence and its high-performance
algorithms. XFC also includes additional technologies that not only improve cycle times but also temporal accuracy and
resolution. This opens up new possibilities to improve the quality of machines and to shorten reaction times. Measuring tasks,
such as preventive maintenance, the monitoring of life cycles or the documentation of parts quality, can all be integrated
New Automation Technology Beckhoff 1
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