SPONSORED FEATURE
IO-Link is fast becoming a safety interface, too!
With IO-Link Safety being standardised as IEC 61139-2 and receiving its first multi-vendor demonstration at the recent SPS show in Nuremburg, David Dearden of Euchner – one of the world’s first machinery safety specialists to adopt the common platform and launch a range of compatible devices – looks at its growing popularity and how it can help machine builders and end users protect personnel and equipment whilst maintaining efficient processes
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O-Link is a standardised IO technology for transmitting point- to-point data to diff erent fi eldbus systems and PLCs. It controls devices, it communicates diagnostic data and presents parameter settings to and from fi eld devices, including safety interlocks, using vendor-agnostic communication standards.
Functional safety communications over
fi eldbus technology has been around for over 20 years but it is only recently that the widespread adoption of safety over communications channels has come into the spotlight. The recent increased adoption rate has been supported by the growth in the popularity of the safety PLC and associated components. Generally, the safety fi eldbus connects remote and decentralised safety I/O with hard-wired local devices. IO-Link makes this a lot easier and creates a host of valuable data in the process. For products without embedded IO-Link connections, retrofi tting solutions exist. For example, Euchner’s IO-Link Gateways (the GWY-CB and ESM-CB) can be added to any BR-type device, to serve as the interface between the safety interlock and the IO-Link master on the PLC or Fieldbus. The Euchner IO-Link Gateway and up to 20 safety devices using it can transmit both cyclical (process) data – which the system continuously supplies to the IO-Link master, and acyclical (device/event) data – which can be polled specifi cally, as needed. Process data includes door position status, actuator limit range, safety outputs state, general error messages, guard locking state, locking element state and escape release state, with device/event data including sensor version/order number, number of devices in a chain, current/ stored diagnostic code, code of current/ blocked/taught-in actuator, voltage, temperature, number of switching cycles and LOG fi les.
26 December/January 2023 | Automation
However, with the move to Industry 4.0, which produces and requires signifi cant volumes of data, questions asked include: What is the retrieved data being used for, and how to best analyse and harness it?
Using IO-Link-compatible devices and gateways, end users can learn exactly what every device on a processing line is doing at all times. Additionally, by using device data, users can see when parameters change, or predict when a unit is about to expire, giving engineers ample time to schedule maintenance or replace ageing devices.
In additon to these process effi ciencies, personnel safety is also an important parameter to consider, especially as the IO-Link technology is being included in safety solutions.
In traditional safety systems, devices would often be wired in series, so when a switch opens, it would drop out a safety relay at the end of the chain, and everything would appear acceptable. However, determining which safety switch is open or closed is more diffi cult, and often results in additional wiring to individual inputs on the PLC. And although safety relays do some monitoring and fault-fi nding themselves,
faults can easily be masked or systems manipulated; e.g., the removal of a device from a series chain or opening downstream devices to remove faults on upstream devices. By using Euchner’s BR series-wiring technology with IO-Link interface it becomes very easy to bring all this information to the control system, and provide real-time alarms when problems occur.
Data, including number of devices in the chain, taught-in switch/actuator codes, codes of blocked actuators, etc., can also be retrieved, all of which can be incorporated in the machine control system to protect the operator. Now, with standards such as EN ISO 14119:2013 being the driving force for minimising the defeating of safety interlocks, the prevention of fault masking is of high priority. This means those still operating older-style, safety-related control systems on their machines, or designing in series-connected switches, may want to refl ect on the new technology and latest standards.
CONTACT:
Euchner;
sales@euchner.co.uk www.euchner.co.uk
automationmagazine.co.uk
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