Reliable wireless control communication is possible over distances of up to 200 m.
As reliable as a cable
If quick and reliable transmission of control data under challenging industrial conditions is necessary, Bluetooth is often the ideal wireless technology. Owing to the special mode of operation of Bluetooth, an extremely reliable and robust wireless connection can be established that is also quick and easy to configure. To use most Bluetooth applications, all you have to do is switch it on. And this has been the case in many thousands of applications already, over many years. Bluetooth has therefore become an established communication solution, particularly in the field of machine building and systems manufacturing, for the transmission of Ethernet and PROFINET data and I/O signals to moving or rotating machine parts.
Your advantages
- Highly reliable and robust wireless communication
- Quick and easy configuration
- Several wireless paths can be operated in parallel without interference
- Very good coexistence with WLAN 802.11
Quick and easy transmission of control data under difficult conditions
Bluetooth is a wireless technology that is primarily used in the field of cellular communication and computer accessories. Bluetooth also has excellent features, however, that allow it to be used in industrial automation networks.
Bluetooth has therefore established itself as a communication solution in the field of machine building and systems manufacturing. It is particularly suitable for transferring Ethernet and PROFINET data or I/O signals to mobile or rotating machine parts. Bluetooth is based on the international IEEE 802.15.1 standard, and works in the globally accessible 2.4 GHz ISM band.
Easily establish a reliable and robust wireless connection
Bluetooth is characterized by its extremely robust wireless communication, which works reliably even under harsh industrial conditions. This is due to the fact that the data is transferred according to the frequency hopping method, where the transmission channel is changed every time data is transferred. This takes place up to 1,600 times per second. This channel redundancy with up to 79 transmission channels makes Bluetooth extremely resistant to interference in the frequency band.
This means that Bluetooth can be used to easily establish extremely reliable wireless connections, which are essential for safety communication (PROFIsafe, SafetyBridge, etc.) among other things. The Bluetooth modules from Phoenix Contact simplify things still further by allowing the communication connection to be established at the touch of a button.
Typical Bluetooth network structures
Several wireless paths can be operated in parallel
Bluetooth is particularly suitable for small, static wireless network applications with a small number of devices. Typical Bluetooth networks include simple point-to-point applications or small networks in a star topology with a maximum of seven devices.
The technology enables several such applications to be operated in parallel without interference. In this way, Bluetooth is quite different from Wireless LAN; WLAN allows large networks to be set up with several devices, but only a very small number of these networks can be operated in parallel.
Excellent coexistence with WLAN
Both Bluetooth and WLAN work in the 2.4 GHz frequency band. This means that conflicts (interferences) and mutual interference are preprogrammed.
Good coexistence between Bluetooth and Wireless LAN with AFH and Black Channel List
Bluetooth is therefore equipped with a good, automatic coexistence mechanism: Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH). AFH reliably detects WLAN systems above a media occupancy of 10% to 15% and automatically excludes channels occupied by WLAN from being used.
To eliminate interference from the outset and enable efficient frequency planning, up to three channels reserved for WLAN can be manually isolated by the industrial Bluetooth modules from Phoenix Contact. In this case, the Bluetooth modules only transmit data in the unused frequency ranges between the WLAN channels, and they do not interfere with the WLAN.
Examples of applications Typical areas of application of Industrial Bluetooth
Reliable communication with rapidly rotating automation stations, for example on cable winding machines, is not a problem with Bluetooth.
Due to the compatibility with Bluetooth and the PAN profile, other Bluetooth devices with PAN profile, for example barcode scanners, can also be connected to the Ethernet network via BT EPA.
Bluetooth enables the robust and reliable communication of control data wirelessly in harsh industrial conditions.
