Driven by Industrial 4.0, the industrial automation reform is thoroughly changing the operation mode of modern factories and providing more flexible systems to meet the needs of the fast changing market. This article will show you the latest development trend of Industrial 4.0 and describe the key products of all-round Industrial 4.0 solutions introduced by ADI.
Flexible Systems for Quick Adaptation to Changing Requirements
With the emergence of Industrial 4.0, consumer behavior and needs have also changed. Therefore, manufacturers need more flexible systems to quickly and easily adapt to changing requirements. As a result, they can no longer rely on fixed, large-scale systems designed for mass-market products and predictable demand Instead, flexible systems that can be reconfigured quickly with minimal downtime and capital investment are required.
The implementation of Industrial 4.0 is sweeping through every modern factory for its operation. With the help of major technological advances from the edge to cloud computing, analysis, software configurable systems, etc., it is expected to greatly improve productivity, flexibility and security. The core of Industrial 4.0 is to make profits through big data and further improve productivity and efficiency. By reliably obtaining various data from factory equipment, advanced functions such as condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance can be supported, and the way industrial operations and maintenance of factory equipment and plants can be changed.
ADI is optimistic about the development of Industrial 4.0 applications and has introduced various related solutions, including software I/O, Ethernet connection, condition-based monitoring (CbM), programmable logic controller (PLC) and distributed control system (DCS), etc. There are quite complete solutions. The relevant technological development and the functional characteristics of key products are described as follows.
Software Configurable Hardware Helps Realize Flexibility of Industrial I/O Modules
Whether used for a process control installation or an industrial automation system, an I/O module or a field junction box has a variety of unique challenges in the whole product life cycle. Product management faces decisions on how many channels and which combinations will be necessary for each product. Electronic designers must decide how to implement the best performance and cost-efficient system for various analog or digital signals in the projects. Installation technicians can be overwhelmed by all the different products and numerous wiring schemes. ADI's new product family of software configurable input/output (SWIO) ICs achieve this goal by supporting literally any function and any combination on any pin at any time. SWIO components enable their channels to be programmed, not only as input or output, but also as analog or digital. Furthermore, they can be efficiently set up for reading 2- or 3-wire RTDs or thermocouples.
Take ADI's quad-channel SWIO device AD74413R as an example, which is designed to meet process control, factory automation or building control applications and is a fully integrated monolithic solution for industrial input and output operation. The AD74413R includes functions for analog output, analog input, digital input, resistance temperature detector (RTD) and thermocouple measurement. These functions are integrated in a single chip solution through a serial peripheral interface (SPI).
The AD74413R features a 16-bit, sigma-delta (∑-Δ) ADC and four 13-bit DACs and is packaged in a 9 mm × 9 mm, 64-lead LFCSP that supports a –40°C to +105°C operating temperature range. Each channel is configured by writing to the configuration registers over an SPI bus whose clock can go up to 24 MHz. Users can refine the default configurations of each operation mode via the AD74413R register map.
AD74413R can provide a variety of modes. These modes are voltage output, current output, voltage input, externally powered current input, loop powered current input, external RTD measurement, digital input logic, and loop powered digital input. The AD74413R includes a high-precision 2.5V internal reference voltage source for driving DAC and ADC.
10BASE-T1L Network Is an Important Driving Factor for the Transformation of Factory Operation Mode
Existing Industrial Ethernet solutions based on 100BASE-TX/10BASE-T provide high data bandwidth up to 100 Mb and power over a Cat-5 or Cat-6e cable with PoE but are limited to 100 m distance and don’t support hazardous area use cases as they are high power solutions.
The ratification in November 2019 of the IEEE 802.3cg standard marked the introduction of a new and dramatically different way for factory operators to connect devices at the edge of the network, freeing them from the restrictions of infrastructure based on the legacy 4 mA to 20 mA and HART®; communications interfaces. The 802.3cg standard, also known as 10BASE-T1L, is a type of Industrial Ethernet network protocol. It provides a way to break down the barriers between the basic operational devices that perform frontline service in the factory (sensors, valves, actuators, and control) and enterprise data, the vault of bits and bytes where the intelligence of the new smart factory comes to life. 10BASE-T1L networking is set to be an important enabler of the general transformation toward a data- and analytics-driven approach to factory operation.
ADI's 10BASET1L PHY-ADIN1100 is a low-power single-port 10BASE-T1L transceiver for industrial Ethernet applications. It can realize lower-power Ethernet connection on a single twisted pair over 1000 meters long with the power consumption of only 39 mW. Combining single-pair power over Ethernet (SPoE) or engineering power solutions with 10BASE-T1L PHY can support the provision of power and data through a single twisted pair cable.
The ADIN1100 conforms to IEEE 802.3cg Ethernet standard and supports long-range 10 Mb/s single-pair Ethernet applications. The device integrates Ethernet PHY core, as well as all related analog circuits, input and output clock buffering, management interface control registers and subsystem registers, as well as MAC interface and control logic to manage reset and clock control and pin configuration.
The ADIN1100 core supports 1.0V p-p operating mode and 2.4V pp operating mode defined in the standard. It can be powered by 1.8V or 3.3V single power rail, provides low voltage options, and supports 1.0V p-p transmit voltage levels. The ADIN1100 is packaged in a 6 mm × 6mm 40-lead package and integrates a power monitoring circuit and a power-on reset circuit, which can improve system-level stability.
Condition-Based Monitoring Uses Sensors to Measure the Health of Machines or Assets
Condition-based monitoring (CbM) involves the use of sensors to measure the current state of health to monitor machines or assets. Predictive maintenance (PdM) requires a combination of CbM, machine learning, and analytics to predict future asset maintenance cycles or possible failures. Regarding the development trend of CbM, maintenance and equipment managers now have new choices, such as wireless devices and lower cost high-performance devices. Although the infrastructure of most CbM systems remains unchanged, we can now integrate new MEMS technologies directly into systems that previously used mainly piezoelectric sensors or were not monitored due to cost barriers.
The ADXL1002 introduced by ADI is a single planar axis accelerometer with analog output. This MEMS sensor can provide ultra-low noise density in an extended frequency range with two full-scale range options and provide optimized monitoring capability for industrial conditions. The ADXL1002 (±50g) has a typical noise density of 25 μg/√Hz. This accelerometer device has stable and repeatable sensitivity, which is immune to external shocks up to 10,000 g.
The ADXL1002 has an integrated full electrostatic self test (ST) function and an over-range (OR) indicator that allow advanced system level features and are useful for embedded applications. With low power and single-supply operation of 3.3 V to 5.25 V, the ADXL1002 also enables wireless sensing product design. The ADXL1002 is available in a 5 mm × 5 mm × 1.80 mm LFCSP package, and is rated for operation over a −40°C to +125°C temperature range.
MEMS sensors can provide fairly good performance at a lower cost. The SNR of the ADXL1002 is 83 dB. However, compared with piezoelectric sensors, the cost is more than 10 times lower. MEMS sensors can now replace all sensors except the highest performance piezoelectric sensors, and the cost is quite low.
Industrial PLC and DCS Require Flexibility in Equipment Configuration
PLC is a digital electronic device with a microprocessor. It is a digital logic controller for automatic control. It can load control instructions into the memory for storage and execution at any time. DCS is a computerized control system used in factories or processes. Generally, there are several control loops. Autonomous controllers are scattered in the system without monitoring by central operators. For industrial PLC or DCS in process control or factory automation, the requirements of end customers and applications are different, and as industrial systems become more and more decentralized, the requirements for capacity, configurability and efficiency are also increasing.
The AD4114/AD4115 introduced by ADI are two low-power, low-noise 24-bit sigma-delta (∑-Δ) analog-to-digital converters (ADC), which integrate an analog front end (AFE) and support fully differential or single-ended high impedance (≥1 MΩ) and bipolar ±10 V voltage input. The AD4114/AD4115 integrates key analog and digital signal conditioning modules and can configure eight independent setups for each analog input channel in use. For fully settled data, the maximum channel scan rate of AD4114 is 6.21 kSPS(161 μs), while the maximum channel scan rate of AD4115 is 24,845 kSPS (40.25 μs).
Embedded with 2.5V low-drift (±5 ppm/℃) band gap internal reference voltage source (with output reference buffer), AD4114/AD4115 reduce the number of external components. The digital filters of the AD4114/AD4115 provide flexible settings, including simultaneous 50Hz and 60Hz rejection at the output data rate of 27.27 SPS. Users can select different filter settings according to the requirements of each channel in the application. The automatic channel sequencer enables the ADC to switch between each enabled channel.
The precision performance of the AD4114/AD4115 is achieved by integrating ADI's proprietary iPassives®; technology. The AD4114/AD4115 have been factory calibrated and can achieve high degree of specified accuracy performance. The AD4114/AD4115 are powered by a single power supply, simplifying the application in galvanically isolation. The AD4114/AD4115 are packaged in a 40-lead, 6mm × 6mm LFCSP package with the rated operating temperature range of − 40℃ to 105℃.
Conclusion
With changes in consumer behavior and expectations, as well as increased demand for customization and faster turnaround times, manufacturers are being forced to change the way they operate, and Industrial 4.0 is the solution to address these changing trends. ADI has introduced various corresponding solutions according to the needs of industrial 4.0. Due to the large number of product lines, this article can only focus on a few products. Please visit ADI's official website to learn more about relevant products.