Unleashing Industrial Communications
New Communication Standard for Intelligent Factory Automation
Hubertus Breier, Head of Technology, Balluff
Interview
Why is Balluff dedicated to the further development of wireless technologies?
We want to unleash the industrial communication by means of wireless technologies. With various solutions for contactless data and power transmission, we create the greatest possible flexibility for our customers in the realization of a wide range of use cases.
We rely on a kind of "toolbox" of various wireless solutions in order to be able to serve the specific requirements individually. Be it condition monitoring or intelligent inventory management – wireless technology opens up enormous opportunities. It goes without saying that we are also intensively involved in the exchange of information in consortia and committees in order to support standardized solutions.
What is the benefit of IO-Link Wireless?
Through the IO-Link wireless standard, we now offer our customers the opportunity to collect data and make it usable in places where it was previously either technically impossible or too costly. Our goal is not to replace the cable, but rather to create connections in the right places that are more reliable and flexible.
With a latency of 5 ms and an error rate of 10-9, IO-Link Wireless from Balluff enables a direct connection as well as fast and reliable data transmission.
Contactless Data Transmission for the IIoT
As a digital interface, the IO-Link communication standard enables a fieldbus-independent point-to-point connection and seamless communication between sensor and automation system. The technology is therefore an essential building block for the factory of the future and the Industrial Internet of Things.
In reality, however, many use cases are often difficult or impossible to implement and are associated with high costs. This is the result of the necessary cabling of sensors and actuators in a wide variety of applications in industrial automation. Especially in restricted spaces or mobile and dynamic applications, the necessary cabling is often the biggest hurdle in implementation. Wireless unleashes industrial communication by making previously necessary lines and cables obsolete through contactless data transmission.
Communication Standard for New Application Fields
The addition of a wireless IO-Link variant to the Balluff portfolio establishes a new communication standard for intelligent factory automation. IO-Link Wireless is used wherever classic data transmission was previously impossible or only possible with difficulty.
The areas of application are versatile – from inaccessible locations, in robotics or in highly dynamic transport systems. In all cases, IO-Link Wireless promises an even more flexible and sustainable application – with consistent system integration and compatibility.
High Reliability, Low Latency
Instead of using cables, the wireless master receives the sensor data by radio via a bridge or hub. There are no limits to its use, as IO-Link Wireless is based on the standardized IO-Link technology (IEC 61131-9) and thus meets all the requirements of factory automation. IO-Link Wireless can be used worldwide without a license in a frequency range of 2.4 – 2.483 GHz. The major advantages over wired variants are obvious: More flexibility and mobility as well as easier planning and installation, also as retrofit solutions, speak for themselves.
During the development of IO-Link Wireless, great attention was also paid to high reliability: a latency of 5 ms and an error rate of 10-9 enable a direct connection as well as fast and reliable data transmission. The devices communicate directly with the controller via a node (IO-Link master), which ensures a stable and continuous connection from master to device.