Page 29 - EngineerIT April 2022

AUTOMATION

Seamless communication from

the field level to the cloud

By Lukas Pogoda, Product Manager for Industrial Communication, Pepperl+Fuchs

very industry sector is faced with the task of digitally networking its plants.
Heterogeneous interfaces between individual systems usually prevent the required
Edata access for this to happen. By combining the standardised OPC
UA communication standard and the IO-Link sensor interface in a single
device, Pepperl+Fuchs creates new paths for seamless communication
from sensor level to the cloud. This combination gives companies total
transparency over their processes and is an ideal way to prepare for the
requirements of Industry 4.0.
The digitalisation of all areas of life is unremitting. Digitalisation
promises to further increase the efficiency of production processes
and the flexibility of production equipment particularly in the various
sectors of industry, through the networking of plants and personnel.
To achieve this, however, the previously rigid hierarchy levels of the
automation pyramid must be broken down and standardised interfaces
must be created from the sensor to the cloud.
By combining the standardised IO-Link sensor interface and the
separate, manufacturer-independent OPC UA communication standard in a
single device, Pepperl+Fuchs is creating new ways to make the availability of data
end-to-end, transparent and seamless from the lowest field level up to the cloud. IO-Link master with OPC UA interface

IO-Link standardises sensor communication
With a total of 11,4 million IO-Link network nodes installed in the field
at the beginning of 2019 and a growth rate of around 40% compared
to the previous year, IO-Link has long established itself as a sensor
interface in the field and continues to gain in importance. IO-Link
enables standardised data access (IEC 61131-9) to sensors and actuators
at the lowest field level. In contrast to conventional digitally switching
or analogue sensor technology, IO-Link provides not only access to
simple switching signals and data, but also allows access to detailed
information, diagnostics and parameter data for a sensor or actuator.
Smart sensors are thus enabled with parameter settings that can be
automatically adapted to changing production requirements, i.e. during
a batch change. A significant reduction in plant downtimes is possible
with IO-Link. If a problem occurs at field level, the diagnostic data
allows for an accurate assessment of the severity of the problem. If it is
necessary to replace devices, the identification data makes it incredibly
easy to know which device to obtain from which manufacturer. When
the replacement device is installed, all previous parameterisations can
be automatically transferred to the replacement device and the plant can
switch back to operation, with no need for manual intervention.

OPC UA enables end-to-end communication up to the cloud
While the detailed IO-Link sensor data has so far only been available
in the closed control systems on which external data access is scarcely
possible, OPC UA opens up new ways to make this data available globally End-to-end and transparent communication from the sensor to the cloud

EngineerIT | April 2022 | 27