I/O System

I/O systems are central elements in automation technology, because without I/O devices that send and receive signals, no interactions between robots, sensors, actuators or controllers would be possible. They serve as the interface between the control systems, such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), and the physical devices in the field level of industrial environments. 

In addition to processing analog or digital signals between devices and the control CPU, I/O systems take care of the management and timing of the information flow, error detection and data buffering, among other things, depending on the type and application. As part of the dynamic developments in the field of automation, the functional scope of I/O systems is expanding considerably in order to enable the adoption of modern technologies such as cloud and edge computing, artificial intelligence and the IIoT. 

The biggest trend in terms of I/O systems is the integration of Ethernet connectivity. On the one hand, this enables communication via Industrial Ethernet technologies such as PROFINET, EtherNet/IP or Modbus TCP and, on the other hand, simplifies the connection to modern technologies such as edge computing and cloud applications as part of the industrial internet of things. These offer previously unimagined possibilities for the aggregation and use of countless, previously unused data, for example for predictive maintenance and data analysis using AI-based algorithms. 

I/O modules can also be used as protocol converters to connect production lines with different communication standards in order to collect data from an entire production plant and effectively manage the entire process. In addition, I/O modules that can translate between Industrial Ethernet and standard Ethernet are becoming increasingly important. Multiprotocol capability is therefore becoming an increasingly important factor. Furthermore, multi-protocol capable communication interfaces increase the flexibility of an I/O module. 

Another trend is the increasing use of IO-Link to connect intelligent sensors and actuators to the control unit. The IO-Link controller serves as an I/O module that establishes the interface to the PLC and enables powerful point-to-point connections to the field devices. By equipping IO-Link controllers with additional computing capacity and Ethernet capability, they can also serve as an edge gateway at the same time. 

Hilscher's advanced communication technologies have significantly transformed industrial communication by offering a range of high-performance, versatile solutions tailored to diverse industrial needs. Central to their offerings are multiprotocol SoCs and Firmware of the netX family, which support various fieldbus and Real-Time Ethernet protocols, ensuring seamless integration and reliable communication within industrial automation systems. Based on this communication controllers, Hilscher´s Embedded Modules and PC Cards facilitate complex communication tasks with multi-protocol capabilities, enhancing Industry 4.0 integration by managing leading protocols in a single hardware component.  

The company also has wired and wireless IO-Link controllers as well as a bridge to add wireless functionality to field devices. The special feature of Hilscher's controller devices is the integration of edge computing power to enable a direct connection with IIoT applications. Thanks to the container management functionality, turnkey application containers can be deployed directly to the controllers devices. 

The IO-Link controllers with edge functionalities and the application containers are part of Hilscher's holistic sensor-to-cloud technology, the netFIELD ecosystem. This also includes additional edge gateways with container management and a central cloud portal that can be used to deploy the containers and manage devices.