Page 19 - Industrial Technology September 2020 issue

The SICK Telematic Data Collector

When do you need other devices to link sensors in plant
and machinery? Whenever a device does not use the
same protocols as the cloud it wants to connect with, it
will need a gateway to handle the transfer of data to the The SICK SIG200 gateway and SIG100 Sensor Hub with Ethernet, CAN, RS232, RS485, 1-Wire and UART
cloud. For example, an IO-Link sensor needs a master, interfaces. Output communications can be via cable,
and the master may need a cloud gateway of one sort or A sensor hub is an IO-Link device, such as the SICK wireless signal or GSM.
another. The gateway needs to be able to talk the right SIG100 that connects to an IO-Link Master. It takes a A data collector is any device that is able to accept
language to both the connected device and the higher- number of on/off sensors that connect to it and it and pass on sensor data. The SICK SIG200 can take
level cloud or network it is linked to. squeezes all their outputs into one string that can be sensor data and pass it on over REST API to the cloud or
SICK has already begun to roll out a portfolio of passed on up the chain to the PLC. SICK’s SIG100 fieldbus to the machine controller. The SICK TDC can
devices to facilitate sensor integration into fieldbus sensor hub can be used to bundle up to twelve standard take data direct or via REST API and pass it to the cloud
environments and higher automation hierarchies. But I/Os in a single IO-Link data packet, which can then be or a local network storage solution.
the terminology for these gateways and integration hubs communicated to machine controllers and cloud-based
can sound very similar. systems via the SIG200. A maximum of 52 I/Os can be Is there an easy way of detecting all IO-Link devices in
connected to one SIG200 by using the SICK SIG100. a machine? Yes, this is simple using SICK’s FieldEcho
What’s the difference between IO-Link Masters, Sensor Sensor Integration Machines (SIMs) are hardware- software. SICK FieldEcho closes the remaining gaps in
Hubs, Sensor Integration Machines, Sensor Integration based programmable devices that also have configurable integration and makes all IO-Link devices visible,
Gateways and Telematic Data Collectors? An IO-Link on-board software such as SICK AppSpace, so they can providing direct access to process and service data and
Master sits on a higher-level bus system, such as be used to process many different tasks, including more enabling the IODD device descriptions to be
PROFINET or EtherCAT. It acts as a gateway for IO-Link complex machine vision applications, for example. They automatically downloaded.
data to be passed on to the PLC or higher-level systems. also include some or all of the functionality of an IO-Link The FieldEcho has a well-designed user interface
SICK’s SIG200 Sensor Integration Gateway is an Master. opened with a browser or integrated into the machine or
IO-Link Master with an on-board web server that The SICK SIM1000 and SIM2000 Sensor Integration plant HMI. It visualises all configured IO-Link Masters,
collects, combines, evaluates and transmits signals from Machines collect and evaluate data from multiple IO-Link sensors and actuators, and displays their status.
IO-Link devices from any manufacturer. SICK’s sensors working together at the field-level via standard These parameter values, diagnostic messages, events
innovative DualTalk technology means the SIG200 needs interfaces, including Ethernet, IO-Link, CAN and Serial. and alarms from the IO-Link devices are hardly ever
only one cable to communicate simultaneously via the With up to four Ethernet ports, the SICK SIM1000 and needed by the control program of the machine, but they
fieldbus with the machine controller and with higher- SIM2000 can support interfaces for cameras, lighting, are invaluable for decision making both at the plant
level enterprise or web-based systems. It’s the first of a LiDAR scanners, encoders, photoelectric or displacement level, and in MES or cloud applications. Control
family of intelligent Industry 4.0 gateways designed to sensors, as well as to higher level controls and to the communication via OPC UA or TCP/IP, as well as data
work as both IO-Link Masters and small, distributed Cloud. The multi-sensor outputs, values and results can exchange with IT- or cloud-based applications via REST,
logical control systems in one. be used to drive typical industrial automation enables integration into any Industry 4.0 applications.
applications such as camera-based inspection,
Flow wrapping packaging machine application enabled by the measurement, or identification of objects. How does SICK envisage the future development of
SICK SIG100 and SIG200 The term Gateway can mean different things sensor integration? Industrial automation is developing
depending on what is using the ‘gate’. In the case of rapidly. SICK’s intelligent sensors collect data, evaluate
sensor data, it may be the SICK Sensor Integration it in real time, adapt to their environment and
Gateways. More generally, a cloud gateway is a device communicate over the network. It is networked
that takes all sorts of data and passes it to the next level production and control processes, working in complex
via the relevant protocol. Think of it as a translator. An machine environments, that will shape our industrial
example of this would be SICK’s TDC (Telematic Data future. The degree of digitalisation in future will mean
Collector), used to aid real-time condition monitoring and smart factories will organise themselves using huge
predictive maintenance. amounts of up to date information to make independent
The SICK TDC collects and processes sensor outputs decisions. This information will be provided by smart
and data in stationary and mobile machinery, together sensors.
with GPS localisation information, and enables them to www.sick.co.uk
be displayed, monitored, recorded and analysed via a
server or cloud system. By transferring data via a mobile
communications protocol (MQTT), a real-time overview
of selected plant and processing parameters can be
provided, and SMS text or email alarms can be
configured.
The SICK TDC system also enhances system
transparency to SICK and third-party sensors compatible

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