Auto-ident devices communicate seamlessly with IDpro platform

Sick believes it has taken the lead over other product identification and data reader systems manufacturers with IDpro. The platform achieves seamless connectivity between Sick's laser barcode scanners, 2D/3D vision cameras and RFID interrogators. The benefits are faster communication and virtual elimination of errors in data transfer between devices, enabling factory automation and logistics control networks to operate more efficiently.

By using the same powerful Sick IDpro platform for its CLV600 laser scanner devices, its LECTOR620 2D/3D camera and its RFID interrogator RHF620, Sick can help its customers ensure that all product identification equipment in a manufacturing or logistics environment works smoothly together without interruption.

Tim Stokes, AutoIdent product specialist for Sick (UK), comments: "All three types of device are included under the single IDpro umbrella. It's the only complete connectivity interface currently on the market, and it takes so much effort out of operating a data scanning network.

"Previously, devices have often been developed at different times with different software versions. The variations in upgrades and platforms means they often can't talk directly to each other. As a consequence, you get bottlenecks and reading errors that need extra patches, hard converter interfaces and gateways or custom-written translation software to put right. Such compromises slow down network performance and can even cause crashes through incompatibility."

The Sick IDpro software delivers full data interchange integration, single device configuration and cloning functionality over CAN networks, and avoids the software, gateway and converter problems that can plague less enabled data scanning portfolios.

Tim continues: "As well as ensuring true device interconnectivity, IDpro reduces error and downtime. When adding a new scanning device the configuration is seamless - just transferring parameters from one device to the other using the same configuration platform as well as the same connectivity devices. There's no more struggling with new manuals or hoping that devices with different software systems get recognised by each other."

Integration with standard networks

Using the three IDpro connector devices with modular connection systems enables integration with standard industrial, Ethernet, Ethernet IP ETHERCAT and Profibus PROFINET networks. This improves return on investment, as the purchase of separate gateway and converter units to enable scanner devices to talk to each other is unnecessary.

Configuration and operation of the devices are easy with or without PCs, as all user interfaces are identical. Training is simplified using Sick's SOPAS cross-technology tool. The identical diagnostic and event monitors operate across all types of device, allowing rapid interrogation of problems, and the micro SD card allows rapid firmware updates or additional cloning facility.

For more information on the Sick IDpro platform or any of Sick scanning, RFID or 2D/3D vision camera products, please email [email protected] or visit the website at www.sick.co.uk.