Cycle Trigger Synchronization

One C2C-Link master and two C2C-Link slave devices (With Global Ready)

Common cycle trigger

The CIC synchronization is achieved by sharing a common Cycle Trigger event between all involved CIC 's using the C2C-Link interconnections. The C2C-Link interconnects two or more devices. One device is namedC2C-Link Master Device, the others are named C2C-Link Slave Device.

The Cycle Trigger is elaborated by the Cycle Manager of the "C2C-Link Master Device and broadcast on the C2C-Link via the C2C-Link Synchronization Tool of the I/O toolbox. All the participating C2C-Link devices (1 Master and one or more slaves) uses the shared C2C1 event stream as event source for the camera cycle trigger.

The CIC Cycles of all participating devices start simultaneously. However, the Cycle Timing parameters (exposure time, strobe pulse width and strobe delay) can be configured individually.

Global Ready signal

Global Ready applies only to area-scan firmware variants!

The Global Ready signal is elaborated by all C2C-Link slaves using a wired-and scheme. A C2C-Link Slave forces the Global Ready signal to 'false' until its start conditions are all satisfied.

The C2C-Link Master device further delays the assertion a Cycle Trigger event while the Global Ready signal is false.

CIC Synchronization through C2C-Link timing diagram (With Global Ready)

The above diagram shows the timing diagram of two consecutive common CycleTrigger events with Global Ready :

The C2C-Link Global Ready signal is held low until the Ready of all participating devices is true preventing the C2C-Link Master to issue a start event. When released by all participating devices, it ramps up rapidly with a rise time of maximum 100 ns.

As soon as the C2C-Link Global Ready signal is confirmed to be high, the master device asserts an abrupt going low transition on the Common Cycle Start signal; this edge is propagated to all the Start inputs of the timers of all participating devices.

As soon as the cycle has started, every CIC forces the ready low as long as all the local conditions to initiate the next cycle are not satisfied.

The timers of each device issue a Camera Trigger and a Strobe, with their respective delay and duration settings. Usually, the settings are identical for all participating devices; but the application is allowed to apply different ones, if needed.

The shortest Cycle Start period allowed by the C2C-Link is 400 ns; allowing a theoretical frequency limit of 2.5 MHz.