digital IO-Link Archives - AUTOMATION INSIGHTS

With most sensors now coming out with an IO-Link output, could this mean the end of using traditional analog sensors? IO-Link is the first IO technology standard (IEC 61131-9) for communications between sensors and actuators on the lower component level.

Analog sensors

A typical analog sensor detects an external parameter, such as pressure, sound or temperature, and provides an analog voltage or current output that is proportional to its measurement. The output values are then sent out of the measuring sensor to an analog card, which reads in the samples of the measurements and converts them to a digital binary representation which a PLC/controller can use. At both ends of the conversion, on the sensor side and the analog card side, however, the quality of the transmitted value can be affected. Unfortunately, noise and electrical interferences can affect the analog signals coming out of the sensor, degrading it over the long cable run. The longer the cable, the more prone to interference on the signal. Therefore, it’s always recommended to use shielded cables between the output of the analog sensor to the analog card for the conversion. The cable must be properly shielded and grounded, so no ground loops get induced.

Also, keep in mind the resolution on the analog card. The resolution is the number of bits the card uses to digitalize the analog samples it’s getting from the sensor. There are different analog cards that provide 10-, 12-, 14-, and 16-bit value representations of the analog signal. The more digital bits represented, the more precise the measurement value.

IO-Link sensor—less interference, less expensive and more diagnostic data

With IO-Link as the sensor output, the digital conversion happens at the sensor level, before transmission. The measured signal gets fed into the onboard IO-Link chipset on the sensor where it is converted to a digital output. The digital output signal is then sent via IO-Link directly to a gateway, with an IO-Link master chipset ready to receive the data. This is done using a standard, unshielded sensor cable, which is less expensive than equivalent shielded cables. And, now the resolution of the sensor is no longer dependent on the analog card. Since the conversion to digital happens on the sensor itself, the actual engineering units of the measured value is sent directly to the IO-Link master chipset of the gateway where it can be read directly from the PLC/controller.

Plus, any parameters and diagnostics information from the sensor can also be sent along that same IO-Link signal.

So, while analog sensors will never completely disappear on older networks, IO-Link provides good reasons for their use in newer networks and machines.

To learn about the variety of IO-Link measurement sensors available, read the Automation Insights post about ways measurement sensors solve common application challenges. For more information about IO-Link and measurement sensors, visit www.balluff.com.

An ever-present challenge in hot rolling operations is to ensure that the material being produced conforms to required dimensional specifications. Rather than contact-based measurement, it is preferred to measure the material optically from a standoff position.

Light band gauging station in hot strip rolling operation detects material thickness in real time.

In some instances, this has been accomplished using two ganged analog optical lasers, each detecting opposite sides of the material being measured. Through mathematical subtraction, the difference representing thickness could be determined. One difficulty of the approach is the need to put a sensor both above and below the material under inspection. The sensor mounted below could be subjected to falling dirt and debris. Further, only a single point on the surface could be measured.

A new approach uses a scanning laser to create a band of light that is used to directly measure the thickness of the material. An analog or digital IO-Link signal represents the measured thickness to a resolution of 0.01mm with a repeat accuracy between 10μm to 40μm depending on distance between emitter and receiver. What’s more, the measurement can be taken even on red-hot metals. The illustration above shows a flat slab but the concept works equally well or better on products with a round profile.

To learn more visit www.balluff.us