Real-time Communication between Robot PLC and PC over Ethernet-based Protocols

TL;DR

This paper compares four Ethernet-based communication protocols (FINS, CIP, UDP, OPC) for real-time control of industrial robots, analyzing their performance and suitability in PC-robot communication systems.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of four protocols for real-time robot control over Ethernet, highlighting their performance and practical applicability.

Findings

FINS protocol offers the lowest latency for read/write cycles.

UDP provides fast data transfer but less reliability.

OPC protocol is more suitable for integration than real-time performance.

Abstract

The article provides a comparative analysis of four communication protocols between Omron PLC and PC for their use in real-time control of an industrial robot. The need for real-time communication appears when the robot control system is located on an external PC. The subject of the study is the FINS, CIP, UDP, and OPC protocols. The physical medium for data transmission is Fast Ethernet 100 Mbit/s. The average time characteristics of reading, writing, and write/read cycle for each protocol are given. The evaluation of the applicability of protocols for real-time robot control and the convenience of their use is also given.