Signal transmission
While the machine controller is well protected against environmental influences in control cabinets, numerous sensors and actuators as well as their connection are installed in exposed conditions in the field. COMPLETE line provides solutions for the flexible, modular, and efficient connection of these components in the field.
Examples of signal transmission in the field
Terminal boxes or passive sensor/actuator cabling boxes with master cables to the controller are classic solutions for connecting field devices. The field devices are connected safely via the sensor/actuator cabling. The signal cables with corresponding terminal blocks or IOs are connected individually in the control cabinet. The passive sensor/actuator cabling boxes take care of the field cabling without any programming effort. The implementation is technically very simple and flexible. With an increasing number of sensors and actuators, increasing cable length, and the associated required signal conditioning, manual cabling is becoming increasingly complex, expensive, and unattractive.
Decentral control elements support the connection of sensors and actuators with the control level in the field, based on PROFINET networks for example. Solutions for other commercially available networks are also available. Connected via IP67-protected Ethernet cables, Axioline E decentral I/Os are fast, robust, and easy to deploy in the field. They collect signals and forward them, including information about the signal source, to the controller.
IO-Link technology adds further possibilities: The globally standardized I/O interface enriches communication with process and service data. This enables early planning of cleaning, for example, by detecting the degree of sensor contamination. In addition, there is access for remote configuration – whether to adapt actuators to changed processes or to transfer stored parameters to replaced IO-Link devices.
The field cabling provides a simple connection of decentral IO-Link field devices to a higher-level IO-Link master. Axioline E analog converters also enable the connection of analog sensors and actuators to the IO-Link box. IO-Link also provides the option of connecting active I/O boxes that transmit further digital signals – even if these do not come from IO-Link field devices.
Special safety I/O boxes also feature functional safety. The Axioline E safe I/O boxes have safe inputs and outputs. SafetyBridge technology allows these boxes to be integrated into PROFIsafe applications.