®

VisionView Application Note

Siemens HMI Panels

01/09/2019
Revision: 1.6.00020008.12
Legal Notices
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The following are registered trademarks of Cognex Corporation:

Cognex, 2DMAX, Advantage, Alignplus, Assemblyplus, Check it with Checker, Checker, Cognex Vision for Industry,
Cognex VSOC, CVL, DataMan, DisplayInspect, DVT, EasyBuilder, Hotbars, IDMax, In-Sight, Laser Killer, MVS-8000,
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(design insignia with cross-hairs), In-Sight 2000, InspectEdge, Inspection Designer, MVS, NotchMax, OCRMax,
PatMax RedLine, ProofRead, SmartSync, ProfilePlus, SmartDisplay, SmartSystem, SMD4, VisiFlex, Xpand
Other product and company trademarks identified herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

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Introduction
® ®
This application note describes the necessary steps to integrate the Cognex VisionView application onto a Windows
CE-based Siemens HMI panel.
The VisionView application allows for real-time view and recognition of automotive parts during the assembly process
using Cognex sensors to provide the real-time images to the SIMATIC HMI panel. The VisionView application can be
configured for the runtime environment of the machine HMI panel used to visualize and control the machine.
The VisionView application can be deployed on the following Siemens devices:
Table 1-1: Supported Windows CE-based Siemens HMI Panels
Panel Type ®
Model SIMATIC ProSave SIMATIC WinCC
(Windows CE Version)
TP Comfort PRO series TP1200 Comfort PRO 15.0.0.0 or higher WinCC (TIA Portal) Comfort/Advanced V14 SP1
(Windows CE 8.0) TP1500 Comfort PRO
TP1900 Comfort PRO
TP2200 Comfort PRO

Note:
l The VisionView CE-SL 1.6.8 PR2 software only supports the above Siemens HMI panels with WinCC
(TIA Portal) V14 SP1. You cannot install the VisionView CE-SL 1.6.8 PR2 software to the previously
supported Siemens HMI panels with WinCC (TIA Portal) V12 or V13.
l It is necessary to use the Ethernet port on the SIMATIC HMI panel to connect to the Cognex sensor.
l VisionView requires a minimum of 32,000 KB to run, but more memory may be used as sensors are
connected. It is recommended that the default 82,000 KB of program memory is used. Reducing this amount
can cause sensors to disconnect or out of memory errors. To adjust the program memory on the Siemens
panel, click Control Panel > System > Memory tab and adjust the amount of allocated memory in use.
l VisionView does not support the Portrait screen orientation on TP Comfort PRO series panels.
l Siemens CE-based HMI panels do not include Asian fonts. In order to display some languages, it may be
required to install the necessary resources, including fonts, on the panel.
l A power cycle is required after uninstalling the VisionView application from a TP Comfort PRO series panel
using ProSave. After the power cycle, manually remove the VisionView desktop shortcut icon from the
panel.

VisionView Support
Cognex online support is available to assist you in using the VisionView application software. For online support,
documentation, and downloads, visit:
http://www.cognex.com/Support/VisionView.

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Installation and Configuration
Install the Software to the PC
1. For TP Comfort PRO series panels, install WinCC (TIA Portal) V14 SP1 to the PC. During the WinCC installation,
SIMATIC ProSave is also installed to the PC.

Tip: To learn more about the WinCC software, visit the Siemens website.

2. Manually upgrade SIMATIC ProSave to V15.

Tip: The SIMATIC ProSave software is available as a free download from the Siemens website.

3. Install the VisionView CE-SL software to the PC. This will automatically install the following to the PC:
n Files required for the configuration software.
n Component files provided by Cognex for ProSave software, that are used to install VisionView and its
required components to the Siemens panel.
n Files required for sample applications for use in WinCC to demonstrate the VisionViewHMIControl
program.

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Configure SIMATIC ProSave
SIMATIC ProSave is used to transfer software between the PC and the HMI panel.

1. Power-cycle the Siemens panel.

2. If transferring software to a TP Comfort PRO series panel, from the panel, click Control Panel > System > Memory
tab and set the allocated storage memory greater than 82,000 KB.

WARNING: On TP Comfort PRO series panels, installing VisionView fails if the panel does not have
enough allocated storage memory.

3. From the PC, launch the SIMATIC ProSave software.

Note: SIMATIC ProSave can be typically found by clicking Start menu > All Programs > Siemens Automation
> SIMATIC > ProSave > SIMATIC ProSave on Windows 7/Windows 10.

Figure 2-1: General Tab

4. From the General tab, select the appropriate Device type.

5. Select Ethernet as the Connection.
6. Select the IP address radio button and type in the IP address of the HMI panel on which the VisionView
application will be installed.

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 Installation and Configuration

7. Select the Options tab. The following components should be displayed in the Available options list:
Microsoft.NET CF 3.9 and VisionView 1.6.8 PR2.

Note:
l The Selection field auto-populates the VisionView installation directory path. The default installation
directory is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Cognex\VisionView\CE-SL x.x.x\Siemens. If the Selection path
doesn't contain the VisionView installation directory path, click the browse button, manually browse
to the VisionView installation directory and click OK.
l The panel type (TP Comfort PRO Panels) is appended to each component name.

Figure 2-2: Options Tab

8. From the Available options list, select Microsoft.NET CF 3.9 and click the double arrow (>>) to transfer the
component file to the panel.

9. From the Available options list, select VisionView 1.6.8 PR2 and click the double arrow (>>) to transfer the
component file to the panel.

Note:
l If an error occurs when transferring files to the Siemens panel, power-cycle the panel and place it
into Transfer mode.
l The VisionView 1.6.8 PR2 component is installed to the following location: \Program
Files\VisionView.

10. If transferring components to a TP Comfort PRO series panel, restart the panel manually when prompted.
11. Close the SIMATIC ProSave software.

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Configure WinCC (TIA Portal)
The WinCC (TIA Portal) software is used to configure the sample application that demonstrates the use of the
VisionViewHMIControl program on TP Comfort PRO series panels.

Note:
l VisionView supports WinCC (TIA Portal) Comfort/Advanced V14 SP1.
l The sample application included in the VisionView CE-SL software can be used on the TP1200 Comfort
PRO, TP1500 Comfort PRO, TP1900 Comfort PRO, and TP2200 Comfort PRO. No other panels are
supported by this release.

1. From the PC, launch the WinCC (TIA Portal) software.

2. TIA Portal V14 SP1 does not have the necessary support packages for TP Comfort PRO series panels
preinstalled. To install them, first click on the Installed software button, and then Detailed information about
installed software link.

Figure 2-3: Installed Software

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 Installation and Configuration

3. In the Installation of support packages section, click the Download from the Internet link.

Figure 2-4: Installation of support packages

4. From the webpage, download the V14 support packages, which are contained in a zip file. Extract the zip file on
your PC.
5. In the Detailed information window (as seen in Figure 2-4), click the Add from file system button. Find the files
you have extracted, and select the HMI TP1200 Comfort PRO and the HMI TP1500 - TP2200 Comfort PRO files.
6. Check the checkboxes next to the newly loaded support package files. Click the Install button. The installation
will occur in a new window and will require you to close TIA Portal.
7. Close TIA Portal, and then click the Continue button in the installation window.
8. Once installed, click the Finish button and reopen TIA Portal. The required support packages are now installed
and the sample HMI project can be used.

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 9. Select the Open existing project radio button, and click the Browse button.

Figure 2-5: Sample Application

10. Select the SiemensTPComfort_V14 folder and click the Open button.

Note: By default, the sample application folders are installed to: C:\Program Files
(x86)\Cognex\VisionView\CE-SL x.x.x\Siemens\TIA Portal.

11. Select Open the project view.

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 Installation and Configuration

12. The sample application includes four buttons across the bottom of the screen to demonstrate the use of the
VisionViewHMIControl program: Show VisionView (Bounds Launch), Show VisionView (Fullscreen Launch),
Hide VisionView and Close VisionView (the buttons are placed on the screen template called "Template_1").
Select the appropriate button control and make adjustments to the VisionViewHMIControl program as needed
(refer to Using the VisionViewHMIControl Program in WinCC on page 11).

Note: To use the sample application, VisionView must be installed to the default location on the panel
(\Program files\VisionView).

Figure 2-6: Sample Application

13. Save any changes to the project.

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 14. From the Online menu, select Download to device to open the Extended download to device screen.

Figure 2-7: Extended Download To Device Screen

15. Select the appropriate device and configure the transfer settings.

Note: For more information on the transfer settings, refer to the SIMATIC WinCC (TIA Portal) Help file.

16. Click the Load button to transfer the HMI application from the PC to the TP Comfort PRO series panel.

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 Installation and Configuration

Using the VisionViewHMIControl Program in WinCC

The VisionViewHMIControl program (TP Comfort PRO series panels) can be used to start, show, hide and close the
VisionView application on the Siemens panels. Optionally, command line arguments can be specified to customize the
VisionView application.

Note: The VisionViewHMIControl program is an application that is installed together with the VisionView
application using ProSave. The VisionViewHMIControl program controls the VisionView application (Start, show
and close).

Show VisionView
Launches the VisionView application. If the VisionView application is already running but is hidden, Show VisionView
will unhide the application.

Note:
l For the VisionViewHMIControl, "-show" is required in the Program parameters field. When appending a
command line argument, a space is required after "-show".
l The VisionView application can also be launched form the Start Menu or the desktop shortcut icon from the
panel.
l On TP comfort panels, when the sample application is deployed, the taskbar or the desktop is not visible. To
launch the VisionView application from the Start menu or the desktop shortcut icon, click the Exit button in
the lower-right corner of the screen to close the program.

Arguments
By default, the VisionView application is launched (i.e., the first time Show VisionView is called) in full-screen and
topmost mode, without a windowed frame. The following optional command line arguments may be specified in the
Program parameters field (VisionViewHMIControl program) to launch the VisionView application in different modes.
Table 2-1: Arguments
Argument Description
-bounds:x,y,w,h Launches the VisionView application as a sub-region of the screen. The x and y values represent
the coordinate positioning of the screen. The w and h values represent the pixel height and width of
the screen. Minimum values: 640 (width) and 430 (height).
-windowed Launches the VisionView application with a windowed frame that has Minimize, Maximize and
Close buttons. In this mode, the VisionView application’s Minimum and Close buttons (displayed in
the lower right of the Run Mode screen) are not displayed. The VisionView application is allowed to
be hidden behind other windows.
-nottopmost The VisionView application is allowed to be hidden behind other windows.
-nominimize The VisionView application’s Minimize button (displayed in the lower right of the Run Mode screen)
is not displayed.

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 Note:
l If the command line argument is not formatted properly, the VisionView application will ignore it.
l If more than one argument is specified, they must be separated with a space. For example, when
“-bounds:x,y,w,h” and “-windowed” arguments are specified, the Arguments should be:
-bounds:0,0,640,430 -windowed.
l When specifying the bounds, spaces are not permitted within the argument. If less than the minimum value
is specified for the width and/or height, VisionView uses the minimum value for the screen size. For
example, if “-bounds:0,0,600,430” is specified, the screen size will be 640 x 430.
l When the VisionView application is launched using the “-windowed” command line argument and not
maximized, the window may be moved. However, if moved, it may not be resized dynamically and the
Minimize and Close buttons will not be displayed within the VisionView application.

Hide VisionView
Hides the VisionView application. At runtime, when the Hide VisionView button is pressed, the VisionView application is
still running in the background and all sensors are still connected, but the window is hidden.

Note: For the VisionViewHMIControl, "-hide" is required in the Program parameters field.

Close VisionView
Closes and exits the VisionView application.

Note: For the VisionViewHMIControl, "-exit" is required in the Program parameters field.

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License
License the VisionView Application
To deploy the VisionView application on the panel, you must purchase and install a license. To install a license, launch
the VisionView application, click the green key button in the Cognex VisionView Setup screen, enter the Activation ID
provided by Cognex in the Enter the Activation ID screen, and click OK.

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