All You Need To Know: Where Did IO-Link Come From?

IO-Link is a simple point-to-point connection-oriented protocol that is used in manufacturing and logistics automation applications to connect sensors and actuators to fieldbuses or industrial Ethernet. It is comparable to USB, a well-known point-to-point communication protocol that is widely utilized in the industrial world. This protocol "smartens" sensors. Simple sensors can only communicate one parameter without it: on/off, no object/object present, high/low, and so on. Even modest sensors can exchange significantly more with IO-Link devices —and translate that data to actual values. What Was the Origin of IO-Link? Several significant changes have occurred in the sector over the last decade: Sensors have to get smaller when mechanical components shrank to be employed in things like robots or affixed to difficult-to-reach equipment. Due to space constraints, it was difficult to integrate Fieldbus connections into sensors. Manufacturing and automation equipment becomes mo...