You are here:
GlobalSpec.com > Semiconductors > Sensor Chips > Sensor Interface and Excitation Chips > Optocouplers in Industrial Communications - white paper

Industrial communication includes data monitoring and processing, diagnostic and sensing as well as visualization. To maintain data integrity against group loop current or common mode noise, optocouplers are used to eliminate both problems. Various technologies and communication buses allow the user to select according to their specific requirements such as speed, switching specifications or security. Sales of fieldbus systems in Europe are projected to rise from their 2001 level of $170.2 million to $420.0 million in 2008 (Frost & Sullivan) across all networking levels. The hierarchy (Figure 1) of industrial networking includes: Smart sensors are used within industrial systems causing a change of communication at the device level, moving towards a more complex information exchange. Due to increased miniaturization, a sensor becomes a small PC with memory and networking capability. This allows sophisticated feedback and more accurate information by onboard calibration to compensate nonlinearity, and offset or temperature related errors. These advantages and the new flexibility result in a success story of smart sensors and boost industrial communication overall. More intelligence is added in the form of programmablelogic controllers (PLC’s). These are used to control and handle the information flow on the lower network protocol layers (OSI), especially at the sensor and device level.

Optocouplers in Industrial Communications - white paper (.pdf) - Optoelectronics