Mr. Schönhaar, there are many code readers on the market - what is special about the BVS ID?

Rainer Schönhaar: There are quite a few: firstly, the IdentSensor is the first code reader that can be integrated into an IO-Link network. It also offers parallel IIoT communication via REST API or MQTT. In addition to the generic functionality, the sensor enables the acquisition of condition monitoring data, making it possible to detect faulty machine conditions at an early stage.

You emphasize that the Codereader can use different communication channels. Can you describe what these are?

As a rule, the codereader is connected to a control system via what is known as an OT network, i.e. an operational technology network. With the BVS-ID, this is possible via IO-Link or via Gigabit Ethernet TCP or UDP. At the same time, the sensor can be integrated into an existing IT network.

Depending on customer requirements, test reports, images, sensor information and the sensor status are transmitted via TCP, REST API or MQTT protocol.

Why is this diversity important?

Depending on the requirements, different data bandwidths are needed to transfer the sensor data. The customer can choose between IO-Link with 230 kBd or Gigabit Ethernet. Depending on the customer's system implementation, secondary data can either be queried via REST API or automatically delivered to the data center (broker) via MQTT in the event of a change.

How is this implemented technologically?

The codereader houses a comprehensive communication controller unit. The sophisticated software concept controls communication processes in such a way that the primary functionality - code reading - always has the highest priority so as not to impair the production process. User management and internal processes also ensure that parallel write accesses or similar do not lead to functional restrictions.

In which cases are these many communication options ultimately needed by the users?

A modern production environment is characterized by the fact that the process data is processed centrally - but due to the increasing decentralization of production sites, it is becoming more and more important to be able to access the sensor products remotely via the IT network. This means that IT functionality is increasingly required.

What data does the codereader record that is important for condition monitoring?

For the customer, condition monitoring not only means recording the current status of the sensor, but also that of the entire system or machine. This data provides the operator with information about the 'state of health' and offers him the opportunity to identify and rectify problem situations early on, before they come to a standstill.

Our IdentSensor internally determines vibration, tilt angle, temperature, humidity, operating time and read quality, whereby the data can be provided with warning tolerances. These values can either be read out asynchronously by the customer or, in the event of an error - if the tolerances are exceeded - an error signal is transmitted in the synchronous process data.

Where and how is the data evaluated?

Rainer Schönhaar is Product Manager Smart Vision at Balluff

© Balluff

The condition monitoring data is provided to the customer by the codereader via the IT or OT interfaces. Depending on the customer's system concept, the data is managed, analyzed and serves as the basis for further measures. All storage options are conceivable here - i.e. locally via company servers or as cloud services.