Network and System Connectivity

A Vision-Guided Robotics (VGR Vision-Guided Robotics is an In-Sight Spreadsheet feature that uses machine vision to guide robot motion through Robotics String Functions and VGR commands.) system requires the vision system, robot controller, and a PC for configuration and monitoring to be connected to the same Ethernet network.

  • The robot controller acts as the master device and initiates communication.

  • The vision system operates as a communication agent, processing images and returning results.

  • The PC allows you to perform configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting tasks.

Once the vision system is installed, locate the vision system on the network and configure its network settings as required for your environment.

The following section provides a step-by-step example of how to connect the robot controller, vision system, and PC to the same network using static IP addressing.

Connecting Devices on the Same Network

This example describes how to connect the robot controller, vision system, and PC to the same Ethernet network using static IP addressing. Each device must have a unique IP address within the same subnet.

  1. Physically connect the devices:

    1. Connect the robot controller, In-Sight vision system, and PC to the same Ethernet network switch using Ethernet cables.

    2. Verify that the Ethernet link indicators on the switch and devices show an active connection.

  2. Choose an IP addressing method:

    1. DHCP (automatic IP address assignment), or

    2. Static IP addresses (commonly used in industrial robot cells).

    Cognex recommends static IP addressing to ensure consistent communication between devices.

  3. Assign unique IP addresses within the same subnet.

    Configure each device with a unique IP address that shares the same subnet mask. For example:

    Device IP Address Subnet Mask
    Robot Controller 192.168.1.10 255.255.255.0
    Vision System 192.168.1.20 255.255.255.0
    PC 192.168.1.30 255.255.255.0

    All devices are on the same network because they share the same subnet (192.168.1.x). For more information about configuring network settings for a vision system in In-Sight Spreadsheet, see the Network Settings section in the In-Sight Vision Suite Help document.

    Gateway and DNS settings are optional. If the network is isolated, gateway and DNS settings can be left blank. If routing outside the local network is required, configure the same gateway on all devices.

  4. Verify network connectivity:

    1. Send a ping from the PC to the robot controller.

    2. Send a ping from the PC to the vision system.

    3. Successful responses confirm basic network connectivity.

Common Configuration Issues

If you are having issues with establishing network connectivity, check your settings for the following issues:

  • Multiple devices have the same IP address

  • The devices have different subnet masks

  • The devices use a mix of DHCP addressing and static IP addressing

  • The devices are connecting through a network with VLAN restrictions