The modern economy is a data-driven one.
Since every decision a company makes is driven by data,
in many ways, data is the backbone of modern businesses.
In recent years, manufacturing companies around the world
have recognized the tremendous value of their data.
They understand that they can use this data to improve their operational efficiency,
reduce their costs, and meet their sustainability goals.
This is why we have heard so much about
digitalization in manufacturing in the last few years.
Digitalization promises to allow manufacturing companies to leverage
the data that they produce to improve their decision-making.
Although manufacturing companies recognize the value of their data,
they have struggled to access and leverage
the data that their control systems produce.
The biggest hurdle to accessing their data
is the multitude of proprietary fieldbus systems that are used by control systems.
In this video,
I will explain how Single-Pair Ethernet is being applied to industrial automation
to provide a robust, Ethernet-based connection from the sensor to the cloud.
Single-Pair Ethernet, also known as SPE,
is one of the most exciting topics in industrial automation today.
Many people believe that SPE will be the backbone of the IIoT revolution
because of its ability to provide easy and secure access to the data
that was previously difficult to access in control systems.
Let’s start by looking at the changes in industrial
infrastructures that are happening right now.
Traditionally, industrial communication technologies,
also known as fieldbuses, have been built on proprietary hardware and software.
Eager manufacturers developed their own communication hardware
and communication protocols for a very specific use case
and we ended up with a fieldbus zoo.
As you can see here,
there are hundreds of different communication
technologies available to use in different applications.
Each communication technology exists for a reason
and has its own advantages and disadvantages.
In general, these communication protocols were designed with
the needs of the industry in mind when they were designed.
They were designed to be suitable for connecting a limited number of devices
and transferring a small amount of data.
They were not designed for data access with network characteristics in mind.
But automation technology has taken big leaps forward in the last few years.
In modern automation systems,
we have more connected devices producing more data than ever before.
As Industry 4.0 continues to become a reality,
we will see more processes automated with intelligent devices and smart sensors.
These devices will produce even more data than what companies are dealing with today.
To accommodate these increased levels of connection,
the automation industry needs a modern network
that can handle larger amounts of data being transferred at higher speeds
to more connected devices with easy data access.
Let’s see how Single-Pair Ethernet meets these needs
by continuing a trend that is already active in the industry.
The automation pyramid shows a hierarchical view of the types
of devices that you may find in an industrial automation system.
Here, you can see that in a traditional automation system,
Ethernet communication was reserved for IT systems at the top of the pyramid.
These systems run non-real-time business applications
that communicate with automation devices lower in the pyramid.
These systems are typically managed by IT professionals
instead of automation engineers.
At lower levels of the pyramid, proprietary communication technologies
like ControlNet and Profibus were used to connect SCADA systems to PLCs
and PLCs to intelligent devices like drives or HMIs.
These networks were less expensive than Ethernet-based networks
and could provide more deterministic communication between devices.
Finally, for connecting PLCs to field devices like sensors
another proprietary network like ASI-bus was used.
These networks were typically cheaper and slower than the other networks
but made it very easy to add devices to the network.
To transfer data from one communication technology type to another,
a special device called a gateway had to be used.
Since transferring data from one communication
technology to another was difficult,
the minimum amount was transferred
and most of the data produced by the manufacturing system
remained stuck at the level where it was created.
In recent years, advances in Ethernet technology have reduced the price
and increased the speed of data transmission.
Because of these advances,
industrial ethernet networks have largely replaced proprietary
communication technologies like ControlNet and Profibus.
The advantage of industrial ethernet networks
is that they can easily communicate with IT systems
without additional gateways
and leverage the built-in security features available on Ethernet networks.
Despite these improvements,
many automation systems still use proprietary communication technologies
for fieldbus communication.
The data produced by the field devices remain hidden behind their gateways.
Single-Pair Ethernet is the most promising technology on the market
that can finally provide ethernet communications
all the way through the automation pyramid from sensor to cloud.
Thanks to SPE,
we can eliminate the proprietary communication technologies
from manufacturing systems
and provide a secure, robust way to access data
all the way down to the field device level.
In many ways, this is the technology that will enable IIoT.
With SPE we can connect all of our devices on a common network
with modern security standards
and democratize data access throughout manufacturing systems.
Single-Pair Ethernet can be used to connect an intelligent field device
directly to a controller with no gateway in between.
Since SPE sensors support “service discovery”
as defined by the ethernet standard
they are very easy to integrate into a control system.
The sensor informs other devices on the network
about what data it has available and how other devices can access it.
Since the connection is based on Ethernet,
larger amounts of data can be transferred between devices at high speeds.
By looking at more data,
companies can better monitor their processes and equipment.
For example,
a warning could be raised if the PLC detected
that the temperature of the sensor was increasing
and this could be used to schedule predictive maintenance.
Of course, Single-Pair Ethernet is not only for controller-to-sensor communication.
It is a complete network for the lower levels of the automation pyramid
and is suitable for horizontal machine-to-machine communication
and vertical machine-to-IT system communication
since the communication is based on the Ethernet standard.
This is only one of the thousands of potential use cases for SPE.
SPE has the potential to revolutionize communication in many industries
including building automation, process automation, smart cities, and more.
You can find out more about the potential use cases of SPE
using the link in the description of this video.
The most exciting part of SPE is that it is not an abstract idea.
SPE is a proven network technology
that has been used in the automotive industry for many years.
Since 2016,
SPE has been used in modern cars for video broadcasting
and connecting onboard systems.
In fact, a Tesla is effectively an SPE network on wheels!
Innovative companies like Weidmüller
are using their experience with industrial hardware and connectors
to bring SPE technology to the industrial automation industry.
They have designed a complete set of rugged, easy-to-use
hardware to implement SPE in industrial environments.
Some of the main features of SPE hardware include:
Reduced Infrastructure Costs
Well Designed Connectors
Suitable for Long Distances
Enables Sustainability
Reduced Footprint
Enables Secure Communication
SPE cabling has just two wires and does not need gateways to integrate into systems.
This leads to reduced hardware costs when installing a new system
and reduced maintenance costs when maintaining a system.
SPE cables support PoDL or Power over Data Line
where the power for field devices is supplied through the SPE cable.
This further reduces the number of components that have to be bought
and maintained as part of an automation system.
Even though Ethernet has been deployed in industrial environments,
RJ45 connectors were never designed with industrial requirements in mind.
Most of us have dealt with broken RJ45 connector latches
at the worst possible moments.
This doesn’t happen with SPE connectors
since they have a metallic latching mechanism
that does not break when removed from a socket with force.
They are specifically designed for industrial environments.
This means that they are strong against vibration and EMC,
and are easy to assemble with only two wires to be connected.
SPE cables are suitable for data transmission over very long distances.
An SPE cable can be used to transmit 10 Mbit/s data
over distances of 1,000 meters.
This makes it easy to integrate sensors
that are distributed over a very long distance into a control system
without having to lay optic fiber cables.
SPE contributes to the sustainability initiatives
of many manufacturing companies.
Many manufacturing companies have goals to reduce their carbon footprint,
and SPE can help companies to meet these goals.
By enabling better data collection,
SPE allows companies to analyze and improve their energy consumption levels.
This helps to reduce a company’s energy use and costs.
Since SPE networks use less hardware than traditional networks,
the carbon footprint of a company is reduced.
SPE hardware has been designed to take the
smallest possible footprint in control panels.
In fact, SPE connectors take up half the space of a traditional RJ45 connector.
This leads to smaller devices
or similar-sized devices with increased port density.
To enable integration into existing systems,
there are M8 and M12 mating interfaces available
with the same mating interface as the IP20 connectors.
SPE is an ethernet-based network with modern security standards built-in.
This means that manufacturing companies can secure their data access
using internet standard security instead of traditional physical access methods.
One of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers today is data access.
Almost all manufacturers want a connected industrial control system
and Single-Pair Ethernet provides a way to eliminate
proprietary communication technologies and gateways from a control system
to provide a robust and secure way to transfer data
from sensor to cloud through the automation pyramid.
SPE is a proven technology
that has been used in the automotive industry since 2016.
Now, many companies are adopting SPE in the automation industry.
Right now, there are hundreds of innovative companies building products based on SPE.
Over 50 of these companies have come together to form the SPE Alliance,
a group of companies focused on promoting Single-Pair Ethernet
in different industries and applications.
SPE is going to be a really important technology
in industrial automation in the next few years.
I suggest you get ahead of the trend by learning more about SPE
and how it can be applied to industrial automation right now.
To learn more about SPE,
check out the links to the Single-Pair Ethernet System Alliance’s website
and Single-Pair Ethernet Use Cases page in the description below this video.
These websites will give you a better understanding of the capabilities
and applications of SPE right now.
Companies like Weidmüller are using their
knowledge of industrial networks and connectors
to design SPE hardware that meets the needs of industry with small sizes,
simple assembly, secure connection, and vibration and EMC protection.
Finally, check out Weidmüller’s SPE solutions page
to see how Weidmüller can support you with designing systems based on SPE
using the End Card Link for this video.