Quality, not quantity: when data becomes information

With Industry 4.0 and an increasing number of communication-enabled sensors, transparency is on the increase, opening up new possibilities for both quality assurance and process optimisation in the production process. However, more information is needed so that the right decisions can be made.

One consequence of this is that higher-level systems find themselves faced with a massive flood of data. Sensor intelligence evaluates the data right away in the sensor and undertakes preprocessing accordingly: only the information that is actually relevant is forwarded.

Intelligent preprocessing directly in the sensor

Whether raw data or preprocessed information, neither data transmission nor bidirectional communication is possible without an appropriate industrial interface. However, new production and logistics concepts in the context of Industry 4.0 are demanding more and more communication-enabled sensors. Accordingly, there has been a tangible increase in the demand for IO-Link-enabled solutions.

With IO-Link, sensors are able to send information for process monitoring in addition to just detection and process data. This information is important for predictive maintenance as well as for process optimisation with a view to implementing safe and rugged detection. Even new set-up parameters can be transmitted via this route.

Solutions that support all standard interfaces for factory, logistics and process automation are accessible for virtually every system environment. In the context of Industry 4.0 in particular, this variability is the key to better investment security.

Smart sensor solutions based on IO-Link acquire data and convert it into the information that is relevant and necessary to the application. Equipped with intelligent automation functions, these sensors enable self-contained secondary tasks to be managed more quickly, more precisely and more efficiently than in the machine controller.

The advantages of this are:

• Condition monitoring in the sensor facilitates active self-monitoring and thus predictive maintenance.
• The process speed of the machine increases and, with it, its output. The information required for the control process is obtained by the sensor directly and forwarded to the machine controller.
• There is more efficiency from one end of the system to the other. Instead of large volumes of CPU- and time-intensive data, preprocessed information is sent to the controller. There is no need for data to be processed in the controller.
• Measured values are more precise, since the jitter caused by reading pulses into the controller cyclically no longer has to be contended with.
• The sensor calculates the measured values independently and precisely.
• The sensor takes over some of the tasks involved in data processing, thus relieving the load on the machine controller.

More transparency, more control

Full transparency of the automation functions and parameters of a sensor — at all levels of the automation pyramid — also improves control over the processes involved. In addition to the data that is related solely to the process and the information associated with the application functions (these are constantly available to the controller in real time), smart sensors can supply additional information for process monitoring and analysis. This information can be polled by the controller if necessary, enabling faults to be analysed or a secondary process to be monitored simultaneously.

More control also means that deviations occurring at any point within a workflow can be monitored and, if necessary, displayed. SICK's WFS fork sensors, for example, can be relied upon not only to detect labels, but also to supply information about the actual number of labels on a sleeve. As a result, deviations can be identified and brought to the attention of the label manufacturer.

Industrial image processing in the context of industry 4.0

Solutions from the field of 2D and 3D vision are used wherever checking, measuring, localising or identifying is the order of the day. Industrial applications have high expectations of these solutions: detection of the surrounding area; immediate data analysis; and immediate delivery of results so that specific action can be identified and taken, even under the most difficult of conditions. Alongside reliable image acquisition, efficient data processing directly in the sensor is decisive.

Diversity versus efficiency?

In the context of Industry 4.0, new challenges are arising all the time. Significant diversity of variants is a consequence of the desire for flexible, customer-specific production. However, high machine availability and production efficiency must also be ensured. 3D vision sensors in particular have a significant advantage in this context. Even if objects vary in size, height or shape, the sensor can be relied upon to detect them and provide the necessary information about them. Once the parameters of a machine or plant have been configured, this process does not need to be repeated. In practice, production efficiency also means high throughput. Vision sensors with ever higher resolution, faster detection speeds and maximum detection accuracy are essential if this is to be achieved.

3D vision inspection offers powerful technology, easy commissioning and intuitive operation. Vision sensors can be supplied with precalibrated 3D data, with overlaid intensity values. This enables the sensor to reliably check the presence and position of labels or printed patterns. The vision sensor can be used for cost-effective 3D inspections, such as checking the content of totes or quality control of consumer goods.