Sinea Technology Charging Station | How to Improve iComputer Communication Efficiency by Adjusting TCP/IP
I'm Sinea.
In the previous Technology Charging Station,
we discussed how iComputers perform nuclear separation operation,
and many users were particularly concerned about the "TCP/IP communication”.
In industrial automation scenarios, the real-time communication efficiency between iComputers directly determines the response speed and stability of production chain. When two iComputers exchange data via TCP/IP, the traditional synchronous communication mode often causes delay fluctuations due to PLC cycle limitations, an invisible bottleneck restricting production line efficiency.
This time, we will deeply analyze the correlation between iComputer TCP/IP communication and PLC cycle time, and provide a set of implementable technical optimization solutions to achieve millisecond-level real-time interaction!
Focus: When two iComputers realize TCP/IP mutual communication, is their communication time related to the cycle time of PLC project?
First of all, it should be clarified that when two iComputers communicate with each other through TCP/IP, the communication time is directly related to the cycle time of PLC project.
Sinsegye is engaged in R&D of industrial intelligent equipment, and has launched an asynchronous communication optimization solution for this industry issue. Free of complex transformation of existing system, the communication performance of iComputers can improve substantially only through three-step configuration of MetaFacture.
In the traditional synchronous communication mode, the "sequential scanning" mechanism of PLC causes network instructions to be executed in a queue. When PLC cycle is long (e.g., 100ms), communication instructions will not be executed unless the end of the current cycle. The long waiting time will cause delays in data interaction and affect real-time performance; conversely, shortening the cycle time will improve communication real-time performance.
Optimization solution: Three steps for asynchronous communication design
Sinea recommends to adopt the asynchronous communication optimization solution:
- Scenarios where real-time performance is prioritized: It is recommended to configure an independent task for communication, which runs in parallel with the main loop.
- Adopt event-triggered mechanism (e.g., immediate sending triggered by a data ready flag).
- Ensure priority execution of communication tasks through priority setting.
The specific operation steps for asynchronous communication design are as follows:
1.Configure TCP independent tasks:
Establish multiple tasks in one task configuration and call in multiple program organization units in one task. Once a task is set, it can control the program to execute periodically or start execution triggered by specific events.
The independent task shall be configured according to the following procedures:
a.Right-click "Task Configuration" in the device tree -> Click "Add Object" -> Select "Task"
b.Fill in the "Name" for the newly added task -> Click "OK"
c.Click "Task Configuration" in the device tree -> Click "Add Group"
d.Drag the newly added task into the newly added task group -> Select a new Kernel
2.Set Task Priority
Priority determines the execution order of tasks. Tasks with higher priority are executed first, while those with lower priority are executed later. When a task with lower priority is running, if a task with higher priority meets execution conditions, the task with lower priority will be paused and the task with high priority will be executed. And the task with lower priority will resume only after the task with high priority is completed.
MetaFacture allows to set priority of tasks, with a total of 32 levels (a number between 0 and 31, where 0 is the highest priority and 31 is the lowest). During program execution, the task with higher-priority takes precedence over the task with lower-priority. The task with priority 0 can interrupt the execution of programs with lower-priority in the same resource, slowing down the execution of lower-priority programs.
When assigning priority levels to tasks, do not assign the same priority to multiple tasks. If other tasks are scheduled before tasks with the same priority, the results may be uncertain and unpredictable.
The following is the operation process for configuring priority:Click "MainTask" in the device tree -> Enter the configuration page -> Select the priority level
3.Configure Task Time Interval
Meanwhile, the configuration page also allows setting the cycle time interval of PLC program.
The cycle period of a task is specified by the "Interval"(unit: ms or us). Task periods are typically set on the basis of execution requirements. Tasks requiring faster response can be set with smaller intervals, while tasks such as IO status processing can be set to 20~100ms. The default time interval for MetaFacture projects is 4ms, which can be adjusted according to the performance of the iComputer used by the user.
By optimizing the asynchronous communication design, you can significantly improve the TCP/IP communication performance between iComputers. It is recommended to implement these optimization measures step by step and conduct verification tests at each stage. For further assistance, access "MetaCore-SF4200 Technical Documentation" in real time to obtain more resources.