The use of the term 'redundancy' in the communications context was primarily introduced by the mathematician and electrical engineer, Claude E. Shannon. It is not the amount of information that is increased, but the probability that the information reaches the recipient. For the industrial network this finding is of fundamental significance.
If a message does not reach a recipient in an office environment, this error can be corrected by sending the message again later. In the industrial environment this same error can have serious consequences. If, for instance, a robot on a production line does not receive the necessary information for several minutes, or even for a few seconds, the entire production line may be affected. In certain circumstances it could mean the line stops.
Hirschmann has developed the Hiper-Ring (for Ethernet networks) based on the concept of the Spanning Tree Protocol. The Hiper-Ring significantly increases the availability of the network and facility, while with Spanning Tree, 30 seconds typically elapse before the failure of a link is compensated, with Hiper-Ring this takes less than half a second. The structure is considerably simplified, as only one additional cable is necessary for Hiper-Ring. Also of interest is the possibility of expansion. A recovery time of a maximum of 500 ms is guaranteed for topologies with up to 50 switches that support the Hiper-Ring concept. The maximum possible distance between two devices is 70 km. Optical ports are available for covering larger distances, which means that the rapid switchover time of 500 ms is made possible for networks covering considerably more than 3000 km.
EtherCAT interoperability removes industrial networking barriers
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Selecting the right communication technology is one of the most important decisions engineers make, and interoperability helps with that decision. Key development tools and standards ensure interoperability among many EtherCAT devices and manufacturers.
Read more...Condition monitoring to go Turck Banner Southern Africa
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Anyone who wants to efficiently monitor the climate in control cabinets will find a comprehensive range of control cabinet monitors for the DIN rail in Turck Banner’s cabinet condition monitoring family.
Read more...Innovative separation of recyclable materials Beckhoff Automation
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
A plant built by Belgian specialist machine builder, Absolem Engineering features an innovative process for separating recyclable materials. Using PC-based control from Beckhoff, a major problem has been elegantly solved - the generation of different signal sequences for the exact synchronisation of different camera systems.
Read more...Enhancing AI-powered object detection and recognition capabilities Vepac Electronics
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Innodisk has announced its cooperation with Advantech, a global leader in AIoT and edge computing. This collaboration leverages Innodisk’s customisable MIPI camera modules and Advantech’s Intel x86-based AFE-R360 solution to enhance AI-powered object detection and recognition capabilities, expanding visual applications for autonomous mobile robots in smart factories and warehouses.
Read more...Rugged, agile and scalable boards Vepac Electronics
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Embedded computing pioneer, AAEON has launched the PICO-ASL4 and GENE-ASL6, both featuring the new Intel Atom x7000RE Processor Series for the edge.
Read more...Rugged gateway board with open-source flexibility Vepac Electronics
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The SRG-CM4 from Vepac brings all the open-source flexibility of the Raspberry Pi OS and ecosystem to AAEON’s signature rugged, durable gateway design to create a truly industry-ready modular system.
Read more...New safety I/O modules for functional safety in highly automated operations
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Belden has expanded the Lumberg Automation LioN family with its new LioN-Safety I/O Modules. Designed to support functional safety efforts in industrial operations, the modules streamline the transmission of data over existing networks.
Read more...IO-Link master for the automation and IT world ifm - South Africa
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The decentralised IO-Link master modules from ifm serve as a gateway between intelligent IO-Link sensors and the fieldbus. Important information on the intelligent sensors can also be simultaneously sent.
Read more...Condition monitoring with IO-Link rotary encoders Pepperl+Fuchs
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Whether in the materials handling industry, in packaging machines or in wind turbines, sensors with an IO-Link interface are increasingly being used to pave the way to Industry 4.0. Pepperl+Fuchs was one of the first manufacturers to launch an absolute rotary encoder with IO-Link interface, that was available in numerous variants and with a wide range of setting parameters.
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