Components
An IO-Link system consists of the following components:
IO-Link master
IO-Link device, for example:
Sensors/actuators
RFID readers
I/O modules
Valves
Unshielded 3-wire or 5-wire standard cables
Engineering tool for configuring and assigning parameters of IO-Link
Example plant with IO-Link
The figure below shows an example of plant architecture with IO-Link.
The IO-Link master establishes the connection between the IO-Link devices and the automation system. If the IO-Link master is a component of the I/O system, it is installed either in the control cabinet or directly in the field as remote I/O in degree of protection IP65/67. The IO-Link master communicates by means of various fieldbuses or product-specific backplane buses. An IO-Link master can have multiple IO-Link ports (channels). An IO-Link device can be connected (point-to-point communication) to each port.
Engineering
The IO-Link system is engineered parallel to the overall automation system and can be embedded in it and intermeshed with it.