Switches
New technologies complement still popular conventional electro-mech switches
By Robert Davies, marketing manager, EAO A
t its simplest a switch provides one or more sets of electrical contacts, which when operated are shorted together to ‘close’
a circuit. Traditional electromechanical switches remain popular simply because of their low cost, inherent reliability, and ease of input interfacing, but the trend towards the digitisation of existing and new machinery designs to provide easily connected switching and sensor signals that can be processed by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) or networked into a fieldbus is surely unstoppable. It is however presenting manufacturers with demanding challenges in terms of system complexity and an acceptable ROI (return on investment).
The globally established IO-Link bi- directional communication interface is going a long way towards alleviating manufacturers’ headaches by enabling them to intelligently connect their latest factory automation systems to higher level bus systems, simplifying and speeding Industry 4.0 integration.
Application-specific yet highly configurable
EAO developed its touch-sensitive switches to maximise the advantages offered by IO-Link technology by offering a variety of freely configurable programming options. The switching function, illumination scheme, and legends of all the switches in the Series 84 IO-Link family can be precisely aligned to the demands of a particular application and the configuration
an ever-expanding range of other vehicle applications.
LIN Bus Switch Panel targets bus, truck and specialist vehicle applications
EAO’s Series 84 IO-Link Touch touch-sensitive capacitive switches
remains stored on the HMI even when no power is applied. All Series 84 IO-link switches are IP69K jet-wash sealed and require a mounting depth of just 26mm, including the built-in 5 pin M12 connector that facilitates quick and easy wire-up.
Digital message-based protocols Flip a switch in your house, electricity flows and something switches on! Both the switch and wiring connected to the ‘something’ need to be heavy enough and sufficiently insulated to handle the maximum expected load. Cars and trucks used to be wired-up the same way, with trim panels concealing thousands of expensive and surprisingly heavy copper wires. Unnecessary weight reduces a vehicle’s fuel efficiency and its road performance. In the early 80s, the increased use of electronics in all areas demanded new communication technologies and some of the larger manufacturers of automation equipment and prestige cars started to develop new message-based technologies.
First came…
CAN (Controller Area Network) technology became available in 1987, just as other industrial fieldbus systems like PROFIBUS or INTERBUS entered the stage of industrial communication. CAN Bus is widely used in all types of cars today but has also gained acceptance in many industrial areas where connection to a reliable, single digital bus is favoured over complex analogue signal lines - reducing errors, weight, wiring, and costs.
And then came the…
LIN (Local Interconnect Network), a serial network protocol also developed principally for mechatronic nodes in distributed automotive applications. The LIN Bus is a single wire, serial network protocol that supports communications up to 19.2 Kbit/s at a bus length of 40 meters. (DC-LIN) transceiver was intended to complement the existing CAN network but has proved to be a more cost-effective method of implementing hierarchical networks within cars and in
EAO’s Series 09 LIN Bus nine-switch sub assembly
The LIN Bus has proved to be a convenient and speedy way to commission driver/ operator control of comfort features in cars, trucks and buses but increasingly, for the management of important security functions such as Reset, Lock & Unlock in specialist vehicle adaptations such as fire appliances, cranes, earth-movers etc.. EAO has combined its experience in low-cost switches for vehicle applications with its expertise in the CAN Bus arena to add a range of LIN Bus devices to its Series 09 switch family.
The new nine-switch LIN Bus sub assembly is quickly and easily connected up before being clipped or screwed into position. Enhanced application flexibility is provided by the configurable switch assignment that allows a range of back- illuminated standard ISO 7000 or custom symbols to be configured to meet individual vehicle requirements but can also be ordered with optional red status indicators.
And what of the future? Digitisation is compelling manufacturers to adopt radically new approaches to machinery and equipment HMIs. Joining bus-based switching in the current list of buzz terms are ‘ergonomics’ and ‘haptics’. Mechanical switches will continue to be the solution of choice in simple low- and medium-cost switching applications but digital bus-based switching such as CAN, LIN and IO-Link will continue to grow in popularity due to enhanced communication, improved access to diagnostic and reduced electrical wiring, not only in vehicles but also in machinery and factory automation applications. It’s a safe bet that the popularity and pervasiveness of these technologies will grow as costs reduce.
www.eao.com 42 April 2022 Components in Electronics
www.cieonline.co.uk
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