Since the end of 2017, the 'Dataeagle 7050' IoT edge gateway from Schildknecht has already had an interface to Powerlink, the industrial Ethernet protocol originally developed by B&R. In addition, the new 'Dataeagle 2730' product series introduced last year can be used to connect wireless sensors via Bluetooth Low Energy and cable sensors via an M12 IO wireless distribution box. The data is collected via a central gateway and transferred centrally to the controller via Powerlink, for example.

After the company also joined the Ethernet Powerlink Standardization Group - EPSG for short - last year, the data radio specialist from Murr has now joined forces with the EPSG for a further project: the subject of the development partnership announced in Nuremberg is the 'Dataeagle 4000' radio system, which will enable wired fieldbus communication to be continued wirelessly over a distance of up to 300 metres in future. The first step will focus on the transmission of openSafety - the protocol for transmitting safety-relevant data within a Powerlink environment - via UDP. According to Managing Director Thomas Schildknecht, it can be applied in future to all Powerlink systems available on the market, such as the control system from B&R or the HMI PLC solution from Exor. Comparable solutions have already been successfully used for Profibus and Profinet for a long time in many applications with moving components - for example as a replacement for sliding contacts.

According to Schildknecht, a reliable data connection via radio is only possible thanks to his patented data pre-processing for bridging short-term data flow interruptions: "In contrast to other wireless solutions, this is not a transparent radio link. The data communication between the controller and transmission via radio is decoupled, as radio is a slower medium and has a higher latency than a cable. Various algorithms break down the data packets, filter them and can replace a lost data packet in the event of interference or prevent an error message in the control system for an adjustable period of time." This process will initially be implemented for UDP and later also in the Powerlink version. The 'Dataeagle' should be available from 2019.

Industrial-grade Bluetooth beacon

Another innovation that Schildknecht presented at a press conference at the trade fair is an industrial-grade Bluetooth beacon. Thomas Schildknecht explains: "Until now, beacons were only known as fixed 'radio signposts' in museums or large department stores. They transmit helpful information to visitors on their mobile devices. We have now made this consumer technology suitable for industrial use. This means that the beacon can be used as a replacement for RFID, for example, but can be used more flexibly because it can actively transmit a presence message over a greater distance. In this way, tools, for example, can be localized within the process. The Bacon can also be used like a 'digital docket'."

The Bluetooth LE device, which is the size of a matchbox, sends short data packets with a range of up to 30 m to devices of all kinds with a Bluetooth interface. The industrial suitability of the device is ensured by details such as power supply via 24 V or battery, protection class IP65 and optional sensor connection via M8. Potential applications are, for example, the localization and provision of tools on machines, presence messages of various kinds or the storage of special information to increase the efficiency of process sequences.

According to Schildknecht, one application of this 'industrial beacon' from the Dataeagle family that has already been implemented is the continuous, wireless condition monitoring of installed motors with direct forwarding of the information for analysis to an app-based diagnostic tool from Kriwan. Another option is to transmit the data via a gateway to a controller or to Schildknecht's Device Cloud. From there, it can be transferred to any other system - for example SAP or the Azure Cloud - via the Restful API.