Process or field communication

Complex control cable wiring in the control cabinet and control cabinets full of terminal blocks can be replaced with AS?Interface. Thanks to a specially developed ribbon cable (easily recognized by its yellow color) and insulation piercing technology, the AS?Interface cable can be connected anywhere. This concept results in enormous flexibility and significant cost savings. AS?Interface is an open standard (EN 50295 / IEC 62026?2). Leading manufacturers of actuators and sensors worldwide support AS?Interface. AS?Interface is used where individual actuators/sensors are spatially distributed over a machine (e.g. in a bottling plant or production line). AS?Interface replaces complex cable harnesses as well as connects binary and analog actuators and sensors such as proximity switches, measuring sensors, valves or indicator lights with a SIMOTION control. In practice this means: Installation runs smoothly because data and power are transported together over a single line. No special expertise is required for installation and commissioning. Furthermore, through simple cable laying, the freely configurable network topology as well as the special design of the cable, you not only significantly reduce the risk of errors, but also service and maintenance costs.

Safety included

The ASIsafe concept supports direct integration of safety-related components, such as EMERGENCY-STOP switches, protective door switches or safety light arrays, in the AS?Interface network. These are fully compatible with the other AS?Interface components (masters, slaves, power supply units, repeaters, etc.) and are operated together on the yellow AS?Interface cable.

The signals of the safety sensors are evaluated by a safety monitor. The safety monitor not only monitors the switching signals of the safety sensors, but also continuously checks whether data transmission is functioning properly. Depending on the variant, the safety monitor has one or two release circuits which are used to put the machine or plant into a safe state. Each release circuit has two switching contacts to fulfill Safety Category 4 in accordance with EN 954?1 or SIL 3 to IEC 61508. Sensors and monitor can be connected at any point in the AS?Interface network. It is also possible to use several safety monitors on a single network.

A fail-safe control or special master is not necessary. The master treats safety slaves in the same way as all other slaves. The safety data is evaluated in the safety monitor. In this way, existing AS?Interface networks can also be expanded.