The RIO Channel Group ObjectTypes are listed in Table 17. There are Channel Group types defined for digital and analog IO for RIOforFA and RIOforPA. There is no distinction regarding Input and Output, the Channel Group Objects aggregate Input and Output Channel Objects. All Channel Group types are derived from the RioChannelGroupType defined in chapter 7.1.1.

Table 17 – RIO Channel Group Types

Profile

Channel Groups

Digital

Analog

RIOforPA

RioPaDigitalChannelGroupType

RioPaAnalogChannelGroupType

RIOforFA

RioFaDigitalChannelGroupType

RioFaAnalogChannelGroupType

The RioChannelGroupType allows the aggregation of RIO Channels for diagnostic purposes and for asset relations. The RioChannelGroupType contains References to RioChannelType Objects. In addition, the server might provide configuration information common to all aggregated channels.

Table 18 – RioChannelGroupType Definition

Attribute

Value

BrowseName

RioChannelGroupType

IsAbstract

True

References

Node Class

BrowseName

DataType

TypeDefinition

Other

Subtype of the 0:BaseObjectType defined in OPC 10000-5.

0:HasProperty

Variable

NumberOfChannels

0:UInt16[5]

0:PropertyType

M, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

ApplicationTag

0:String

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasComponent

Method

SetApplicationTag

O

0:HasProperty

Variable

LastParameterChange

0:DateTime

0:PropertyType

O, RO

HasRioInputChannel

Object

<RioInputChannel>

RioChannelType

OP

HasRioOutputChannel

Object

<RioOutputChannel>

RioChannelType

OP

HasRioConfiguration

Object

ChannelGroupConfig

RioChannelGroupConfigType

O, RO

0:GeneratesEvent

ObjectType

RioChannelDiagnosisEventType

0:GeneratesEvent

ObjectType

RioChannelDiagnosisAlarmType

0:HasComponent

Object

Lock

2:LockingServicesType

O

Conformance Units

PNRIO Channel Groups

The NumberOfChannels array Variable contains the number of channels of each supported type represented by the RIO Channel Group. The following table contains the relationship of array index and the channel number information stored at the respective index:

Index

Content of NumberOfChannels[Index]

0

Number of digital input channels

1

Number of digital output channels

2

Number of analog input channels

3

Number of analog output channels

4

Number of universal channels.

The ApplicationTag Variable contains application specific data which can be used by Clients to obtain additional semantic information. Clients can modify the content of this Variable by invoking the SetApplicationTag Method.

If no subordinated RIO Channel Objects are provided, the Channel Group level ApplicationTag Variable is the only possibility to store Client specific semantic information. Servers can support tagging on RIO Channel level by providing Channel Objects.

The <RioInputChannel> Reference links one aggregated Input Channel Object. For each aggregated Input Channel Object, one HasRioInputChannel Reference shall be part of the RioChannelGroupType Object.

The <RioOutputChannel> Reference links one aggregated Output Channel Object. For each aggregated Output Channel Object, one HasRioOutputChannel Reference shall be part of the RioChannelGroupType Object.

If provided, the ChannelGroupConfig Object contains an arbitrary subset of read-only configuration properties of the represented RIO Channel Objects.

The Server might provide diagnosis data by sending RioChannelDiagnosisEventType Events and / or RioChannelDiagnosisAlarmType Events. The diagnosis data of the RioChannelGroup Object includes the diagnosis information of all aggregated RIO Channel Objects.

The used cross-aspect ReferenceTypes 0:RepresentsSameFunctionalityAs and 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs (see below) can only exist if the Server provides the PROFINET aspect of the Information Model.

If the PROFINET aspect is provided by the Server, the RIO Channel Group Object shall be linked to the associated PN Submodule using a 0:RepresentsSameFunctionalityAs Reference. The associated submodule addresses the same IO data as the Channel Group Object provides.

The Lock Object ensures exclusive write access and Method call for one Client. The Client locks the Channel Group Object by invoking the InitLock Method of the Lock Object. The Client invokes ExitLock to release the lock.

Before invoking a Method of the Channel Group Object, Clients must gain exclusive write access (“lock” the Channel Group Object) using the Lock Object.

This Method sets the Value of the ApplicationTag Variable. The security constraints defined in chapter 6.7 apply.

Signature

SetApplicationTag (

[in] 0:String ApplicationTag

);

Argument

Description

ApplicationTag

String containing the desired content of the ApplicationTag Variable.

The Method Result Codes (defined in Call Service) are defined in Table 19.

Table 19 – Possible Method result codes

Result Code

Description

Good

The Method execution was successful.

Bad_UserAccessDenied

The Client has not the right to execute the Method.

Bad_InvalidArgument

The Server is not able to apply the name. The ApplicationTag string may be too long or may contain invalid characters. The server may also reject duplicates.

Bad_UnexpectedError

The server is not able to execute the function because an unexpected error occurred. The Device might be temporarily unavailable or unreachable due to network failure.

If the SetApplicationTag Method is invoked or if configuration data provided by the subordinated RioChannelGroupConfigType Object is changed, the value of the LastParameterChange timestamp Variable shall be changed by the Server.

The RioChannelGroupConfigType contains all configuration properties which are common to all RIO Channel configuration types. A Server may support an arbitrary subset of these properties. Each supported property applies to all represented channels of the RIO Channel Group.

The Server may provide only one of the PaDigitalSubstituteValue, FaDigitalSubstituteValue bit fields, as well as the PaAnalogSubstituteValue and FaAnalogSubstituteValue arrays. But these variables shall be provided only if individual RIO Channel Objects are not provided.

Table 20 – RioChannelGroupConfigType Definition

Attribute

Value

BrowseName

RioChannelGroupConfigType

IsAbstract

False

References

Node Class

BrowseName

DataType

TypeDefinition

Other

Subtype of the 0:BaseObjectType defined in OPC 10000-5.

0:HasProperty

Variable

SignalType

RioSignalTypeEnumeration

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

InversionEnabled

0:Boolean

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

ShortCircuitCheckEnabled

0:Boolean

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

WireCheckEnabled

0:Boolean

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

SupplyVoltageCheckEnabled

0:Boolean

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

LoadVoltageCheckEnabled

0:Boolean

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

SubstitutePolicy

RioSubstitutePolicyEnumeration

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasComponent

Variable

PaDigitalSubstituteValue

RioBitFieldDataType

RioBitFieldVariableType

O, RO

0:HasComponent

Variable

FaDigitalSubstituteValue

RioBitFieldDataType

RioBitFieldVariableType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

PaAnalogSubstituteValue

RioAnalogDataType[]

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

FaAnalogSubstituteValue

RioAnalogDataType[]

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

SubstituteTime

0:Float

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

Damping

0:Float

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

HighLimit

RioAnalogDataType

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

LowLimit

RioAnalogDataType

0:PropertyType

O, RO

Conformance Units

PNRIO Configuration

The SignalType Property contains the signal type encoded as RioSignalTypeEnumeration.

The InversionEnabled Property contains True if the digital signal is inverted in the Function Block, otherwise False.

The ShortCircuitCheckEnabled Property contains True if short circuit check is active for the channel, otherwise False.

The WireCheckEnabled Property contains True if wire check is active for the channel, otherwise False.

The SupplyVoltageCheckEnabled Property contains True if supply voltage check is active for the channel, otherwise False.

The LoadVoltageCheckEnabled Property contains True if load voltage check is active for the channel, otherwise False.

The SubstitutePolicy Property contains the substitute value setting of the channel encoded as RioSubstitutePolicyEnumeration.

The PaDigitalSubstituteValue bit field Property contains the substitute values for the Process Value of the represented digital RIOforPA channels which shall be used if a failure is detected. The usage of the substitute value depends on the actual value of the SubstitutePolicy Property.

The FaDigitalSubstituteValue bit field Property contains the substitute values for the Process Value of the represented digital RIOforFA channels which shall be used if a failure is detected. The usage of the substitute value depends on the actual value of the SubstitutePolicy Property.

If the number of RIOforFA Channels the RIO Channel Group represents exceeds the capacity of the RioBitFieldVariableType (which is 32), as many RioBitFieldVariableType Variables shall be part of the RIO Channel Group Object as are needed to represent the substitute values of all RIOforFA Channels. The BrowseNames of the RioBitFieldVariableType Variable shall be extended with a suffix ensuring uniqueness and indicating the section of the bitfield the variable represents in this case, e.g. “FaDigitalSubstituteValue_0_31”, “FaDigitalSubstituteValue _32_47”, and so on.

The optional Offset Property of the RioBitFieldVariableType Variables shall be provided in this case and contain the start of the range the RioBitFieldVariableType Variable represents. Possible Values for Offset are 0, 32, 64, and so on. The Offset Value added to the bit number shall be used as the RioChannelNumber Property Value of the corresponding RIO Channel Objects if these Objects are provided.

The PaAnalogSubstituteValue array Property contains the substitute values for the Process Value of the represented analog RIOforPA channels which shall be used if a failure is detected. The usage of the substitute value depends on the actual value of the SubstitutePolicy Property.

The FaAnalogSubstituteValue array Property contains the substitute values for the Process Value of the represented analog RIOforFA channels which shall be used if a failure is detected. The usage of the substitute value depends on the actual value of the SubstitutePolicy Property.

The bit numbers and array indexes in the range 0 to <number of Input Channels minus 1> constitute the RioChannelNumbers of the represented Input Channels. The bit numbers and array indexes in the range <number of Input Channels > to <number of Input Channels + number of Output Channels minus 1> constitute the RioChannelNumbers of the represented Output Channels.

The SubstituteTime Property contains the time in seconds from the detection of a failure to a reaction (substitute value is set for the Process Value).

The Damping Property contains the damping time (T63) in seconds applied to an analog signal in the Function Block.

The HighLimit Property contains the upper limit of an analog signal.

The LowLimit Property contains the lower limit of an analog signal.

The RioPaAnalogChannelGroupType aggregates RioPaAnalogInputChannelType Objects and RioPaAnalogOutputChannelType Objects.

Table 21 – RioPaAnalogChannelGroupType Definition

Attribute

Value

BrowseName

RioPaAnalogChannelGroupType

IsAbstract

False

References

Node Class

BrowseName

DataType

TypeDefinition

Other

Subtype of the RioChannelGroupType.

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

InputValues

RioPaAnalogValueDataType[]

0:BaseDataVariableType

O, RO

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

OutputValues

RioPaAnalogValueDataType[]

0:BaseDataVariableType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

SimulationValues

RioPaAnalogValueDataType[]

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasComponent

Variable

SimulationEnabled

0:Boolean[]

0:BaseDataVariableType

O, RO

0:HasComponent

Method

SetSimulation

O

0:HasComponent

Method

SetSimulationValue

O

Conformance Units

PNRIO Channel Groups

The InputValues array Variable contains the Input Process Values of the Input Channels the RIO Channel Group Object represents. The InputValues Variable is linked to the associated PnIoTelegramType Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference (see Figure 20).

The array indexes must be equal to the RioChannelNumber of the represented Input Channels. The RioChannelNumbers of the Input Channels shall have the value range 0 to <size of InputValues array> minus 1.

The OutputValues array Variable contains the Output Process Values of the Output Channels the RIO Channel Group Object represents. The OutputValues Variable is linked to the associated PnIoTelegramType Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference.

The array indexes must be equal to the RioChannelNumber of the represented Output Channels minus <size of the InputValues array>. The RioChannelNumbers of the Output Channels shall have the value range <size of InputValues array> to <size of InputValues array + size of OutputValues array> minus 1.

The type of each array element is RioPaAnalogValueDataType which has two members: Value contains the Process Value and QualifierValue contains the status information associated with each value.

The SimulationValues array of RioPaAnalogValueDataType structures contains the values and qualifiers used as Process Value for each represented analog channel if simulation is active for the channel.

The SimulationEnabled array Variable contains True for each array element if simulation is enabled for the corresponding RIO Channel, otherwise False.

The array indexes of the SimulationValues and the SimulationEnabled arrays must be equal to the RioChannelNumber of the referenced RIO Channels.

This Method sets the Value of array elements of the SimulationEnabled array Variable. The security constraints defined in chapter 6.7 apply.

Signature

SetSimulation (

[in] 0:Boolean SimulationEnabled

[in] 0:Int16 Index

);

Argument

Description

SimulationEnabled

Value used to set the Value of one SimulationEnabled array element.

Index

Index of array element to set. If -1, the SimulationEnabled parameter is assigned to all array elements.

The Method Result Codes (defined in Call Service) are defined in Table 22.

Table 22 – Possible Method result codes

Result Code

Description

Good

The Method execution was successful.

Bad_UserAccessDenied

The Client has not the right to execute the Method since the Operator Role is not granted to the Client’s Session.

Bad_InvalidArgument

The Server is not able to assign the value. Possible reason: Invalid index.

Bad_UnexpectedError

The server is not able to execute the function because an unexpected error occurred. The Device might be temporarily unavailable or unreachable due to network failure.

This Method sets the Value of array elements of the SimulationValue array Variable. The security constraints defined in chapter 6.7 apply.

Signature

SetSimulationValue (

[in] RioAnalogDataTypeValue

[in] 0:Byte Qualifier

[in] 0:Int16 Index

);

Argument

Description

Value

Value used to set the Value member of the array element.

Qualifier

Value used to set the Qualifier member of the array element.

Index

Index of array element to set. If -1, the parameters are assigned to all array elements.

The Method Result Codes (defined in Call Service) are defined in Table 23.

Table 23 – Possible Method result codes

Result Code

Description

Good

The Method execution was successful.

Bad_UserAccessDenied

The Client has not the right to execute the Method since the Operator Role is not granted to the Client’s Session

Bad_InvalidArgument

The Server is not able to assign the values. Possible reasons: Invalid qualifier value, invalid index. The server might also reject invalid values outside the supported range.

Bad_UnexpectedError

The server is not able to execute the function because an unexpected error occurred. The Device might be temporarily unavailable or unreachable due to network failure.

The RioFaAnalogChannelGroupType aggregates RioFaAnalogInputChannelType Objects and RioFaAnalogOutputChannelType Objects.

Table 24 – RioFaAnalogChannelGroupType Definition

Attribute

Value

BrowseName

RioFaAnalogChannelGroupType

IsAbstract

False

References

Node Class

BrowseName

DataType

TypeDefinition

Other

Subtype of the RioChannelGroupType.

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

InputImageValues

RioAnalogDataType[]

0:BaseDataVariableType

O, RO

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

InputImageQualifiers

RioBitFieldDataType

RioBitFieldVariableType

O, RO

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

OutputImageValues

RioAnalogDataType[]

0:BaseDataVariableType

O, RO

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

OutputImageQualifiers

RioBitFieldDataType

RioBitFieldVariableType

O, RO

Conformance Units

PNRIO Channel Groups

The InputImageValues array Variable contains the Input Process Values of the Input Channels the RIO Channel Group Object represents. The InputImageValues Variable is linked to the associated PnIoTelegramType Input Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference.

The InputImageQualifiers RioBitFieldVariableType Variable contains a bit field representing the qualifier bits associated with each Input Process Value the RIO Channel Group Object represents. The InputImageQualifiers Variable is linked to the associated PnIoSignalType Input Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference.

The OutputImageValues array Variable contains the Output Process Values of the Output Channels the RIO Channel Group Object represents. The OutputImageValues Variable is linked to the associated PnIoTelegramType Output Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference.

The OutputImageQualifiers RioBitFieldVariableType Variable contains a bit field representing the qualifier bits associated with each Output Process Value the RIO Channel Group Object represents. The OutputImageQualifiers Variable is linked to the associated PnIoSignalType Input Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference.

The array index is used as the unambiguous assignment of qualifier bit and value. The array indexes and the bit numbers of the InputImageValues array and the InputImageQualifiers bit field must be equal to the RioChannelNumber Property Values of the corresponding RIO Channel Objects. The OutputImageValues array indexes and OutputImageQualifiers bit numbers must be mapped to the value range of the RioChannelNumbers of the referenced Output Channels by adding the size of the InputImageValues array.

The RioChannelNumbers of the Input Channels shall have the value range 0 to <size of InputImageValues array> minus 1. The RioChannelNumbers of the Output Channels shall have the value range <size of InputImageValues array> to <size of InputImageValues array + size of OutputImageValues array> minus 1.

If the number of RIO Channels the RIO Channel Group represents exceeds the capacity of the RioBitFieldVariableType (which is 32), as many RioBitFieldVariableType Variables shall be part of the RIO Channel Group Object as are needed to represent the qualifiers of all RIO Channels.

The BrowseNames of the RioBitFieldVariableType Variables shall be extended with a suffix ensuring uniqueness and indicating the section of the bitfield the variable represents in this case, e.g. “_0_31”, “_32_47”, and so on.

The optional Offset Property of the RioBitFieldVariableType shall be provided in this case and contain the start of the range the RioBitFieldVariableType Variable represents. Possible Values for Offset are 0, 32, 64, and so on. The Offset Value added to the bit number is equal to the array index of the corresponding Process Value. For bit fields representing Output Channels the array index must be mapped to the value range of the RioChannelNumbers of the referenced Output Channels by adding the number of Input Channels (see above).

The RioPaDigitalChannelGroupType aggregates RioPaDigitalInputChannelType Objects and RioPaDigitalOutputChannelType Objects.

Table 25 – RioPaDigitalChannelGroupType Definition

Attribute

Value

BrowseName

RioPaDigitalChannelGroupType

IsAbstract

False

References

Node Class

BrowseName

DataType

TypeDefinition

Other

Subtype of the RioChannelGroupType.

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

InputImage

RioPaDigitalValueDataType[]

0:BaseDataVariableType

O, RO

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

OutputImage

RioPaDigitalValueDataType []

0:BaseDataVariableType

O, RO

0:HasProperty

Variable

SimulationValues

RioPaDigitalValueDataType[]

0:PropertyType

O, RO

0:HasComponent

Variable

SimulationEnabled

0:Boolean[]

0:BaseDataVariableType

O, RO

0:HasComponent

Method

SetSimulation

O

0:HasComponent

Method

SetSimulationValue

O

Conformance Units

PNRIO Channel Groups

The InputImage array Variable contains the Input Process Values of the Input Channels the RIO Channel Group Object represents. The InputImage Variable is linked to the associated PnIoTelegramType Input Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference.

The array indexes must be equal to the RioChannelNumbers of the represented Input Channels. The RioChannelNumbers of the Input Channels shall have the value range 0 to <size of InputImage array> minus 1.

The OutputImage array Variable contains the Output Process Values of the Output Channels the RIO Channel Group Object represents. The OutputImage Variable is linked to the associated PnIoTelegramType Output Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference (See Figure 21).

The array indexes must be equal to the RioChannelNumbers of the represented Output Channels minus <size of the InputImage array>. The RioChannelNumbers of the Output Channels shall have the value range <size of InputImage array> to <size of InputImage array + size of OutputImage array> minus 1.

The type of each array element is RioPaDigitalValueDataType which has two members: Value contains the Process Value and QualifierValue contains the status information associated with each value.

The SimulationValues array of RioPaDigitalValueDataType structures contains the values and qualifiers used as Process Value for each represented digital channel if simulation is active for the channel.

The SimulationEnabled array Variable contains True for each array element if simulation is enabled for the corresponding RIO Channel, otherwise False.

The array indexes of the SimulationValues and the SimulationEnabled arrays must be equal to the RioChannelNumber of the referenced RIO Channels.

This Method sets the Value of array elements of the SimulationEnabled array Variable. The security constraints defined in chapter 6.7 apply.

Signature

SetSimulation (

[in] 0:Boolean SimulationEnabled

[in] 0:Int16 Index

);

Argument

Description

SimulationEnabled

Value used to set the Value of one SimulationEnabled array element.

Index

Index of array element to set. If -1, the SimulationEnabled parameter is assigned to all array elements.

The Method Result Codes (defined in Call Service) are defined in Table 26.

Table 26 – Possible Method result codes

Result Code

Description

Good

The Method execution was successful.

Bad_UserAccessDenied

The Client has not the right to execute the Method since the Operator Role is not granted to the Client’s Session.

Bad_InvalidArgument

The Server is not able to assign the value. Possible reason: Invalid index.

Bad_UnexpectedError

The server is not able to execute the function because an unexpected error occurred. The Device might be temporarily unavailable or unreachable due to network failure.

This Method sets the Value of array elements of the SimulationValue Variable. The security constraints defined in chapter 6.7 apply.

Signature

SetSimulationValue (

[in] 0:Boolean Value

[in] 0:Byte Qualifier

[in] 0:Int16 Index

);

Argument

Description

Value

Value used to set the Value member of the array element.

Qualifier

Value used to set the Qualifier member of the array element.

Index

Index of array element to set. If -1, the parameters are assigned to all array elements.

The Method Result Codes (defined in Call Service) are defined in Table 27.

Table 27 – Possible Method result codes

Result Code

Description

Good

The Method execution was successful.

Bad_UserAccessDenied

The Client has not the right to execute the Method since the Operator Role is not granted to the Client’s Session

Bad_InvalidArgument

The Server is not able to assign the values. Possible reasons: Invalid qualifier value, invalid index.

Bad_UnexpectedError

The server is not able to execute the function because an unexpected error occurred. The Device might be temporarily unavailable or unreachable due to network failure.

The RioFaDigitalChannelGroupType aggregates RioFaDigitalInputChannelType Objects and RioFaDigitalOutputChannelType Objects. Alternatively, the server can omit the channel objects and provide Input- and Output image Variables only.

Table 28 – RioFaDigitalChannelGroupType Definition

Attribute

Value

BrowseName

RioFaDigitalChannelGroupType

IsAbstract

False

References

Node Class

BrowseName

DataType

TypeDefinition

Other

Subtype of the RioChannelGroupType.

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

InputImage

RioBitFieldDataType

RioBitFieldVariableType

O, RO

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

InputImageQualifiers

RioBitFieldDataType

RioBitFieldVariableType

O, RO

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

OutputImage

RioBitFieldDataType

RioBitFieldVariableType

O, RO

HasRioProcessVariable

Variable

OutputImageQualifiers

RioBitFieldDataType

RioBitFieldVariableType

O, RO

Conformance Units

PNRIO Channel Groups

The InputImage Variable contains a bit field. The bit field contains the copy of one Input Telegram’s memory image associated with one PnIoSignalType Object. The InputImage Variable is linked to the associated PnIoSignalType Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference.

The InputImageQualifiers Variable contains a bit field containing the qualifier bits for each bit in the InputImage Variable. The InputImageQualifier Variable is linked to the associated PnIoSignalType Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference.

The bit numbers must be equal to the RioChannelNumber of the represented Input Channels. The RioChannelNumbers of the Input Channels shall have the value range 0 to <number of Input Channels > minus 1.

The OutputImage Variable contains a bit field. The bit field contains the copy of one Output Telegram’s memory image associated with one PnIoSignalType Object. The OutputImage Variable is linked to the associated PnIoSignalType Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference.

The OutputImageQualifiers Variable contains a bit field containing the qualifier bits for each bit in the OutputImage Variable. The OutputImageQualifier Variable is linked to the associated PnIoSignalType Object using a 0:RepresentsSameEntityAs Reference.

The bit numbers must be equal to the RioChannelNumber of the represented Output Channels minus the number of Input Channels. The RioChannelNumbers of the Output Channels shall have the value range <number of Input Channels > to <number of Input Channels + number of Output Channels > minus 1.

If the number of RIO Channels the RIO Channel Group represents exceeds the capacity of the RioBitFieldVariableType (which is 32), as many RioBitFieldVariableType Variables shall be part of the RIO Channel Group Object as are needed to represent the qualifiers of all RIO Channels.

The BrowseNames of the RioBitFieldVariableType Variables shall be extended with a suffix ensuring uniqueness and indicating the section of the bitfield the variable represents in this case, e.g. “_0_31”, “_32_47”, and so on.

The optional Offset Property of the RioBitFieldVariableType Variables shall be provided in this case and contain the start of the range the RioBitFieldVariableType Variable represents. Possible Values for Offset are 0, 32, 64, and so on. The Offset Value added to the bit number shall be used as the RioChannelNumber of the corresponding RIO Channels. For bit fields representing Output Channels the number of Input Channels must be added also to obtain the RioChannelNumber of the represented Output Channel (see above).