Version: 2.8

MTConnect Agent Configuration

The agent plugin can handle multiple agent instances. Each of them has its own context and runs as an independent task.

The service is configured in the settings.json. It contains all settings of the agent plugin.

Service Instances

Each service instance represents a MTConnect agent and has its own configuration.

Attribute	Description	Data Type
Id	Instance Id	System.Guid

Parameter	Description	Data Type
Port	Listening port of the agent	System.Int32
Name	Name of the agent. Default is "mtc"	System.String
SyntaxVersion	Version of the MtConnect syntax. Default is '1.3'	System.String
BufferSize	Buffer size of the agent sample buffer. Default is 1024 samples	System.Int32

Example

{
  "Disable": false,
  "Agents": [
    {
      "Id": "79742628-1E34-4A83-A7C0-C46EA24EA9FA",
      "Name": "Agent1",
      "Port": 8085,
      "SyntaxVersion": "1.8", 
      "BufferSize": 4048
    }
  ]
}

MTConnect Data Model

The MTConnect data model is typically configured and setup in the device information file of any device. MTConnect specification foresees a very detailed definition of data points which goes far beyond the default properties of HumanOS® based data access points.

To meet the specification requirements, customized properties can be added to the any group and data access points.

Enriching Device Information

The device is mapped to a MTConnect device.

Attribute	Description	Data Type
`mtc:DeviceName`	Optional. Overrides the device name. Must be a valid NMTOKEN.	System.String
`mtc:DeviceId`	Optional. Sets the device id. Default is the GUID of the device.	System.String

Enriching Component Information

Any group information is mapped to a component (or sub-component) of the device.

Attribute	Description	Data Type
`mtc:ComponentName`	Optional. Overrides the component name. If provided it must be a valid NMTOKEN.	System.String
`mtc:ComponentType`	Optional. Overrides the component type. Default is "Component". Must be a valid NMTOKEN.	System.String
`mtc:ComponentId`	Optional. Sets the component id. Default is the GUID of the group.	System.String

The specification of MTConnect declares following component types. Note the hierarchical structure:

Axes
- Linear
- Rotary
  - Chuck
Controller
- Path
Systems
- Hydraulic
- Pneumatic
- Coolant
- Lubrication
- Electric
- Enclosure
- Protective
- ProcessPower
- Feeder
- Dielectric
- EndEffector
Auxiliaries
- Loader
- WasteDisposal
- ToolingDelivery
- BarFeeder
- Environmental
- Sensor
- Deposition
Resources
- Materials
  - Stock
Interfaces

Example of MtConnect Component: Shows an example enriching a component with name and id.

{
  "Id": "8f0b422b-d363-4e3b-85ad-564909f61483",
  "Name": "Fanuc Controller",
  "Properties": [
    {
      "Name": "mtc:ComponentType",
      "Value": "Controller"
    },
    {
      "Name": "mtc:ComponentId",
      "Value": "Lct1"
    }
  ]
}

Enriching Events, Condition and Sample Information

Following table shows the HumanOS® predefined properties for data access points and their mapping to MTConnect:

Attribute	Description	Data Type
Id	Id of data node is mapped directly to MTConnect id	System.Guid
Name	Name is mapped to DataItemName	System.String
Units	Units are transformed to the units specification of MTConnect	System.String
DataClass	Streams are mapped to MTConnect sample class; Events are mapped to MTConnect event or condition class, dependent on whether the property mtc:ConditionValues exists	EDataClass

Some MTConnect settings can be specified as extra properties:

Attribute	Description	Data Type
mtc:Ignore	Ignore the data node completely	System.Boolean
mtc:DataItemId	Optional property to specify a data item id. Default is the GUID of the data access.	System.String
mtc:DataItemName	Optional property to specify a data item name. Default is the name of the data access. Must be a valid NMTOKEN.	System.String
mtc:InformationType	Type of the event, condition or sample class	System.String
mtc:InformationSubType	Subtype of the event, condition or sample class	System.String
mtc:Values	Optional value mapping. Each mapping must be separated with `;`. The wildcard `` indicates "any value". Example: `1=VALUE1;2=Value2;=Value3`	System.String
mtc:ConditionValues	Optional condition value mapping. See Condition Node below	System.String

Condition Node

If the property mtc:ConditionValues is created, the data node is treated as a condition. The Property must contain a value mapping structured as follows:

Each mapping must be separated with ";"
Each mapping must contain one of the following values
- Normal
- Warning
- Fault
The wildcard * indicates "any value".

Example:

1=Normal;2=Warning;*=Fault

Example of MTConnect Event

Example showing customized data item id and value mapping. Note that the name of the data node is taken as the dataItemName in MtConnect. Therefore the data node name must be a NMTOKEN.

{
  "Id": "19ddf2b6-3ccb-42c1-9ccc-bc3453917dae",
  "Name": "CncRunningState",
  "DataType": "System.Int32",
  "Unit": "",
  "Address": "Nc1.Dynamic.Float64:5",
  "Access": {
    "Read": true,
    "Receive": true
  },
  "HistoryMode": {
    "Retention": 8000,
    "SamplingRate": 2000
  },
  "Properties": [
    {
      "Name": "mtc:InformationType",
      "Value": "EXECUTION"
    },
    {
      "Name": "mtc:DataItemId",
      "Value": "Lpexecution"
    },
    {
      "Name": "mtc:Values",
      "Value": "*=INACTIVE;1=PROGRAM_STOPPED;2=FEED_HOLD;3=ACTIVE"
    }
  ]
}

Example of MTConnect Sample:

This example shows a data sample configuration. Note that the dataItemName is overwritten by the property mtc:DataItemName.

{
  "Id": "561AF35C-18D3-421F-8874-C3359782F2A6",
  "Name": "Current Spindle Speed",
  "DataType": "System.Double",
  "DataClass": "Stream",
  "Unit": "1/min",
  "Address": "Nc1.Dynamic.Float64:3",
  "Access": {
    "Read": true,
    "Receive": true
  },
  "HistoryMode": {
    "Retention": 500,
    "SamplingRate": 2000
  },
  "Properties": [
    {
      "Name": "mtc:DataItemName",
      "Value": "CurrentSpindleSpeed"
    },
    {
      "Name": "mtc:InformationType",
      "Value": "SPINDLE_SPEED"
    },
    {
      "Name": "mtc:InformationSubType",
      "Value": "ACTUAL"
    }
  ]
}

Maps to MTConnect sample (call http://localhost:8085/probe)

<DataItem category="SAMPLE" id="15c40e92-45ad-4fd8-838c-8f2f397d7dc7" type="STREAM" units="MILLIMETER/SECOND" nativeUnits="MILLIMETER/MINUTE" name="Current Axis Feed" />

Example of MTConnect Condition:

{
  "Id": "1BBC0F82-FE7F-4249-87D3-9660F91B1C2A",
  "Name": "Available",
  "DataType": "System.Int32",
  "DataClass": "Event",
  "Unit": "",
  "Address": "Global.System.Control.Int32:0",
  "Access": {
    "Read": true,
    "Receive": true
  },
  "Properties": [
    {
      "Name": "mtc:ConditionValues",
      "Value": "1=Normal;2=Warning;*=Fault"
    }
  ]
}

Unit Mapping

HumanOS® uses the metric ISO units, like [mm] or [1/min]. These units must be mapped to MTConnect protocol spec.

HumanOS® (native)	MTConnect®
A	AMPERE
°C	CELSIUS
Number	COUNT
dB	DECIBEL
°	DEGREE
°/s	DEGREE/SECOND
°/s^2	DEGREE/SECOND^2
Hz	HERTZ
J	JOULE
kg	KILOGRAM
l	LITER
l/s	LITER/SECOND
urad	MICRO_RADIAN
mm	MILLIMETER
mm/min	MILLIMETER/SECONDS*
m/s	MILLIMETER/SECONDS*
mm/s	MILLIMETER/SECONDS
mm/s^2	MILLIMETER/SECOND^2
`<not supported>`	MILLIMETER_3D
N	NEWTON
Nm	NEWTON_METER
O	OHM
Pa	PASCAL
Pas	PASCAL_SECOND
%	PERCENT
Ph	PH
1/min	REVOLUTION/MINUTE
s	SECOND
S/m	SIEMENS/METER
V	VOLT
VA	VOLT_AMPERE
`<not supported>`	VOLT_AMPERE_REACTIVE
W	WATT
Ws	WATT_SECOND

(*) mapping of units also includes conversion of the value itself.

Component Structure

MTConnect suggests a detailed component structure of the devices. The component structure can be achieved by grouping data nodes in the device information file.

The component name is given by an extra property:

Attribute	Description	Data Type
mtc:ComponentName	Name of the component node in MTConnect	System.String

{
  "Id": "ECE37FDF-4862-4543-AF23-48FFDB8203C7",
  "Name": "Machine",
  "DriverId": "B3CCD1A7-A49B-46FC-B983-5284992F6444",
  "Address": "CNC-1",
  "Groups": [
    {
      "Id": "A19370F6-91A1-47E2-86E2-CC67050482C4",
      "Name": "MachineAxes",
      "Properties": [
        {
          "Name": "mtc:ComponentType",
          "Value": "Axes"
        }
      ],
      "Groups": [
        {
          "Id": "3C141482-35AA-4369-9F09-841448487CD8",
          "Name": "X",
          "Properties": [
            {
              "Name": "mtc:ComponentType",
              "Value": "Linear"
            }
          ],
          "DataNodes": [
            {
              "Id": "13BB68D0-3B8E-42B9-A5BC-993E5B0D49A8",
              "Name": "X-Position-Absolute",
              "DataType": "System.Double",
              "DataClass": "Stream",
              "Unit": "mm",
              "Address": "Nc1.Dynamic.Float64:200°1",
              "Access": {
                "Read": true,
                "Receive": true
              },
              "HistoryMode": {
                "Retention": 1,
                "SamplingRate": 2000
              },
              "Properties": [
                {
                  "Name": "mtc:InformationType",
                  "Value": "POSITION"
                },
                {
                  "Name": "mtc:InformationType",
                  "Value": "ACTUAL"
                }
              ]
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "Id": "EF8C291F-E016-4AAF-96D5-EE90B8EBB0DB",
          "Name": "Y",
          "Properties": [
            {
              "Name": "mtc:ComponentType",
              "Value": "Linear"
            }
          ],
          "DataNodes": [
            {
              "Id": "8C10067A-1AC1-41AB-8619-604978DBDEBF",
              "Name": "Y-Position-Absolute",
              "DataType": "System.Double",
              "DataClass": "Stream",
              "Unit": "mm",
              "Address": "Nc1.Dynamic.Float64:200°2",
              "Access": {
                "Read": true,
                "Receive": true
              },
              "HistoryMode": {
                "Retention": 1,
                "SamplingRate": 2000
              },
              "Properties": [
                {
                  "Name": "mtc:InformationType",
                  "Value": "POSITION"
                },
                {
                  "Name": "mtc:InformationType",
                  "Value": "ACTUAL"
                }
              ]
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Maps to the MTConnect device structure (http://localhost:8085/probe):

<Devices>
  <Device id="ece37fdf-4862-4543-af23-48ffdb8203c7" name="Rollomatic 233" uuid="ece37fdf-4862-4543-af23-48ffdb8203c7">
    <DataItems>
      <DataItem category="EVENT" id="87da9093-b415-45cf-83a0-5af75177c4c1" type="AVAILABILITY" name="Available" />
      <DataItem category="EVENT" id="ece37fdf-4862-4543-af23-48ffdb8203c7" type="AVAILABILITY" />
    </DataItems>
    <Components>
      <Component id="fa1611ab-b6c9-4ff4-b34d-bf35e6a44232" name="AlarmEventPool" />
      <Axes id="a19370f6-91a1-47e2-86e2-cc67050482c4" name="MachineAxes">
        <Components>
          <Linear id="3c141482-35aa-4369-9f09-841448487cd8" name="X">
            <DataItems>
              <DataItem category="SAMPLE" id="13bb68d0-3b8e-42b9-a5bc-993e5b0d49a8" type="POSITION" units="MILLIMETER" name="X-Position-Absolute" subType="ACTUAL" />
            </DataItems>
          </Linear>
          <Linear id="ef8c291f-e016-4aaf-96d5-ee90b8ebb0db" name="Y">
            <DataItems>
              <DataItem category="SAMPLE" id="8c10067a-1ac1-41ab-8619-604978dbdebf" type="POSITION" units="MILLIMETER" name="Y-Position-Absolute" subType="ACTUAL" />
            </DataItems>
          </Linear>
          <Rotary id="e05c2439-ca1a-44db-8af1-32f4e2f20d2f" name="C">
            <DataItems>
              <DataItem category="SAMPLE" id="561af35c-18d3-421f-8874-c3359782f2a6" type="ROTARY_VELOCITY" units="REVOLUTION/MINUTE" name="Current Spindle Speed" subType="ACTUAL" />
            </DataItems>
          </Rotary>
        </Components>
      </Axes>
    </Components>
  </Device>
</Devices>

Multiple Devices

The HumanOS® MTConnect Agent is able to handle multiple device instances. Assume there are 10 FANUC machines connected to the HumanOS IoT Gateway. All machines are accessible through a single MTConnect agent collecting and buffering all events and samples of these ten machines.

To query a specific machine, use the machine name in the URL.

Probes all devices at once: http://localhost:8085

Probes only the "Machine-1" device: http://localhost:8085/Machine-1/probe

Glossary

NMTOKEN: The data type for XML identifiers.

Note: The identifier must start with a letter, an underscore "_" or a colon. The next character must be a letter, a number, or one of the following ".", "-", "_", ":". The identifier must not have any spaces or special characters.

OPC-UA to MTConnect Bridge

HumanOS® IoT Gateway is able to bridge the OPC-UA to MTConnect protocol. OPC-UA enabled devices can be connected using the OPC-UA control driver. The data access points are specified in the device information file.

Service Instances​

MTConnect Data Model​

Enriching Device Information​

Enriching Component Information​

Enriching Events, Condition and Sample Information​

Condition Node​

Example of MTConnect Event​

Example of MTConnect Sample:​

Example of MTConnect Condition:​

Unit Mapping​

Component Structure​

Multiple Devices​

Glossary​

OPC-UA to MTConnect Bridge​