Industrial Automation Magazine India

Digital retrofit with the IO-Link data splitter

Published on : Saturday 02-05-2020

In many applications, sensors detect an enormous amount of data which is not processed by the control system.

The new IO-Link data splitter from ifm helps to generate valuable information from this data. It is an easy retrofit for existing installations and machines and makes them fit for Industry 4.0. Today, sensors generate much additional information which is not used by the PLC. A typical example are pressure sensors on machines with a compressed air supply which are configured as simple threshold switches in order to ensure trouble-free operation of the machine. However, continuous detection of the air pressure would help to quickly identify and eliminate compressed air leaks. This would reduce the compressed air consumption, thereby increasing energy efficiency. However, modifying an existing PLC is difficult and expensive. Besides, the warranty of the machine manufacturer may be invalidated. The new E43406 and E43410 data splitters from ifm provide a solution. The data splitter is inserted between the IO-Link capable sensor and the PLC and connected to any IO-Link master. This does not affect the control system. The switching signals or analogue values of the sensor continue to be transferred to the PLC as before. This means that no adjustment of the controller hardware or software is required. Simultaneously, the data splitter transmits the measured values of the sensor to the connected IO-Link master. This enables simple evaluation of the measured values in higher-level systems. The IoT modules with IO-Link master ports from ifm are equipped with a JSON interface for easy connection to a database.

The data splitters from ifm are manufacturer-independent and can be used with any IO-Link sensors and IO-Link master. Parameter setting of the sensor via the data splitter is also possible. However, this possibility is deactivated on delivery for safety reasons. It has to be enabled during parameter setting of the data splitter.

ifm electronic India Private Limited, Kolhapur. Tel: 0231-2672770. Email: [email protected]