Home > Automation technology > Binary bottleneck removed: taking the last metre
Binary interfaces designed for pure switching data are a hindrance to the integration of data flows in machinery and systems as far as Industry 4.0 is concerned. IO-Link closes this gap in the automation system.
Sensors and actuators increasingly feature microprocessors, for example, to control displays or for parametrisation and saving configuration data, and it seems sensible to make these additional functionalities centrally accessible. This is exactly what IO-Link offers: a communications interface that has been developed in close collaboration between renowned companies in industrial automation.
Bachofen has been involved with the subject of the IO-Link since 2009. During a long-term partnership with Turck, a level of expertise has developed in the field of automation that is unique within the entire sector: the ideal prerequisite for system integrators to make machinery and systems fit for Industry 4.0.
IO-Link is compatible with all commonly used fieldbus technologies. It is based on a point-to-point connection between sensors/actuators and interface modules. This enables other data, such as parameters or diagnosis reports, as well as process values, to be exchanged over the binary interfaces.
e.g. via TBEN-S2
e.g. linear position sensor
with identical PIN assignment to conventional digital I/O