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 more complex, necessitating the collection and control of data beyond basic "on/off" or "high/low" capabilities.
  
  
• Keeping up with the numerous types of wires used for digital and analog sensors was getting increasingly difficult. Each required a unique installation setup and had to be kept on hand in case of performance issues.

These factors fueled the development of global IO-Link technology.

Allows for the processing of three sorts of data.

You can use the IO-Link to access and process three sorts of data: process data, service data, and event data.

• Process data includes information such as temperature and pressure, which are transmitted by sensors or actuators in response to an IO-Link master request.
  
  
• Service data refers to information on a product rather than a process and includes information such as the manufacturer's name, product model number, and so on.
  
  
• Sensors typically provide event data when an event notice, such as an increase in pressure, is required.

Summary:

Operations that are adversely impacted by unforeseen or extended downtimes and/or undergo frequent changeover stand to benefit the most from IO-Link.