EtherCAT Init

Initialize EtherCAT main device node with data in the EtherCAT Network Information (ENI) file

Since R2020b

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Libraries:
Simulink Real-Time / EtherCAT

Description

The EtherCAT Init block initializes the EtherCAT^® main device stack. The block specifies the Ethernet interface cards in the network.

Before you use this block, create and save an EtherCAT Network Information (ENI) file. You export the ENI file from the Beckhoff^® TwinCAT^® or the acontis EC-Engineer. See Configure EtherCAT Network by Using TwinCAT 3.

To find the ENI file, click Browse. To read the ENI file and store the data in the EtherCAT Init block, click Refresh Data.

The Simulink^® Real-Time™ software supports multiple EtherCAT networks. To use multiple networks:

• Use a different Ethernet card interface for each EtherCAT network.

• In the model, use one EtherCAT Init block for each network.

To include EtherCAT distributed clocks when PTP is enabled for the model, use EtherCAT bus shift mode.

Examples

EtherCAT Protocol with Beckhoff Analog IO Subordinate Devices EL3062 and EL4002

Communicate with EtherCAT devices using the Beckhoff® analog I/O terminals EL3062 and EL4002.

Open Script

EtherCAT Protocol with Beckhoff Digital IO Subordinate Devices EL1004 and EL2004

Communicate with EtherCAT devices using the Beckhoff digital I/O terminals EL1004 and EL2004.

Open Script

EtherCAT Protocol Sequenced Writing SoE Subordinate Device Configuration Variables

Use SoE blocks and a simple state machine to write configuration values to variables that can only be written before going to EtherCAT Op state.

Open Script

EtherCAT Protocol Sequenced Writing CoE Subordinate Device Configuration Variables

Use CoE blocks and a simple state machine to write configuration values to variables that can only be written before going to EtherCAT Op state.

Open Script

EtherCAT Protocol Detect Network Failure and Reset

Use the EtherCAT Notifications block to detect a failure in the connected network and to restart the network when the failure is corrected.

Open Script

EtherCAT Protocol Motor Velocity Control with Accelnet Drive

Control the velocity of a motor by using EtherCAT communication.

Open Script

EtherCAT Protocol Motor Position Control with Accelnet Drive

Control the position of a motor by using EtherCAT communication.

Open Script

Generate ENI Files for EtherCAT Devices

Generate EtherCAT network information (ENI) files to use in Simulink® Real-Time™ with EtherCAT devices.

Open Script

Ports

Output

Status — Status information about the EtherCAT network

vector

The Status vector contains these values: ErrVal, MdeviceState, DCErrVal, MdeviceToNetworkClkDiff, DCInitState, and NetworkToSubDeviceClkDiff.

• ErrVal — Error status:

  • No error: 0

  • Error: Value less than 0.

  Because ErrVal shows the latest error status, the propagation of errors can hide the original error. To find the original error, add an EtherCAT Get Notifications block and use the slrealtime.EtherCAT.filterNotifications command to print the status codes that the EtherCAT stack transmits.

• MdeviceState — Operating state of the EtherCAT network.

  State	Value	Description
  INIT	1	Initialization — The system finds terminal devices and initializes the communication controller.
  PREOP	2	Preoperational — The system uses the communication controller to exchange system-specific initialization data. In this state, the network cannot transmit or receive signal data.
  SAFEOP	4	Safe operational — The network is running and ready for full operation. The supervisor sends input data to the terminal device. The terminal device output remains in a safe state.
  OP	8	Operational — The network is in full operation. The supervisor sends input data to the terminal device. The terminal device responds with output data.

• DCErrVal — DC error status for the main device shift controller:

  • No DC Error for main device shift controller: 0

  • DC error for main device shift controller: Value from EtherCAT Init Block DC Error Values.

  When you select main device shift controller mode, the value 0 indicates successful clock distribution. The DCErrVal does not apply when the distributed clock is disabled.

• MdeviceToNetworkClkDiff — Time difference, in nanoseconds, between the main device stack clock and the clock on the first subordinate device that has enabled DC.

• DCInitState — Operating state of the distributed clock:

  • DC not enabled, not initialized, or single EtherCAT DC subordinate device: 0

  • DC has been started and the EtherCAT DC subordinate devices are in sync with each other: 1

• NetworkToSubDeviceClkDiff — Time difference, in nanoseconds, between the clock on the first EtherCAT subordinate device and the least closely locked clock on the remaining subordinate devices.

  This value applies only to subordinate devices that have enabled DC. If only one device on the network has enabled DC, this value is 0.

Data Types: int32

Parameters

Config file (ENI) — ENI file from the EtherCAT configurator

character vector

Specify the ENI file that you exported from the EtherCAT configurator.

You can specify the absolute path name or a relative path name from the current folder. If you specify only the file name, the software searches for the file in the current folder and on the MATLAB^® path. If more than one file with that name exists on the path, MATLAB displays a message box that indicates a clearer file specification is needed.

Clicking Browse inserts a full, editable path name.

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: config_file

Network Device Index — EtherCAT network identifier

0-15

A unique integer in the range 0–15 that identifies the Ethernet card for an EtherCAT network.

For each EtherCAT network, the software generates a unique device index. The software inserts that device index as Device index into the EtherCAT Init block that represents the network. For more information about Speedgoat Target Machine settings, see Install EtherCAT Network for Execution.

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: device_id

Ethernet Port Number — Port number in target computer

int

The first port reserved for EtherCAT by the speedgoat.configureEthernet function is port 1 here. For more information, see the description of the speedgoat.configureEthernet function in Speedgoat documentation. For more information about Speedgoat Target Machine settings, see Install EtherCAT Network for Execution.

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: portnum

DC Tuning — Distributed clock initialization parameter

Large model (default) | Medium model | Small model

Enter the distributed clock initialization parameter from one of these values:

• Large model (default) — Sends 16,000 timing initialization packets and allows 1 second of settling time. Provides best initial synchronization between multiple subordinate devices that have DC enabled.

• Medium model — Sends 8,000 timing initialization packets and allows 0.3 seconds of settling time. The model reaches operational state about a second earlier than it does with the Large model setting.

• Small model — Sends 2,000 timing initialization packets and allows 0.2 seconds of settling time. The model reaches operational state earlier than it does with the other settings.

Monitor device synchronization at the moment that the model enters the operational state. If the ENI file enables DC, make sure that the devices are synchronized closely enough for your application.

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: dctuning

Enable EtherCAT Log for Debugging — Access to debugging and logging block parameters

Off (default) | Warning | Info | Verbose | All

The selections choose:

• Off — Skip all except fatal errors in log.

• Warning — Include warnings and fatal errors in log.

• Info — Include information displays, warnings, and fatal errors in log.

• Verbose — Include sequencing information from EtherCAT stack, information displays, warnings, and fatal errors in log.

• All — include low level debugging information and all other categories in log.

The Verbose and All logging levels can produce so much data that it can cause overloads at fast task rates.

The target log file name is E_Mdevice%d, where %d is the device id value.

Programmatic Use

Block Parameter: enaDebug

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation
Generate C and C++ code using Simulink® Coder™.

Version History

Introduced in R2020b