SANTA CRUZ (MAXREFDES23#): IO-LINK light sensor

Santa Cruz is the world's smallest IO-Link light sensor, integrating 6 sensors : ambient light (bright light), red light, green light, blue light, infrared and temperature sensors , all integrated into a tiny 6.5mm x 25mm printed circuit board (PCB ) )superior. Maxim Integrated, Renesas® Electronics, and Technologie Management Gruppe Technologie und Engineering (TMG TE) collaborated to design Santa Cruz as a light sensor reference design compatible with version 1.1/1.0 of the IO-Link protocol. The Santa Cruz design includes an industry-standard Maxim Integrated IO-Link device transceiver ( MAX14821 ); a Renesas ultra-low-power, 16-bit microcontroller (RL78) using TMG TE's IO-Link device stack; and a Maxim Integrated light sensor ( MAX44008 ). Please refer to Figure 1. Since the 1980s, industrial fieldbuses have enabled smart devices, faster installation, reduced wiring, and easier maintenance. However, the lack of a single, universally accepted fieldbus has also caused confusion, training challenges, high costs, and issues with compatibility between devices1. IO-Link is the first open, fieldbus-agnostic, low-cost, point-to-point serial communication bus protocol for communicating with sensors and actuators that has been adopted as an international standard (IEC 61131-9)2. IO-Link finally standardized the interoperability of industrial equipment around the world. IO-Link can be operated directly from a PLC or integrated into any standard fieldbus, making it quickly becoming the de facto standard for communicating with smart devices such as Santa Cruz (MAXREFDES23#). Both simple and smart, IO-Link enables the industry's smallest low-cost smart sensors.

Figure 1. Santa Cruz reference design block diagram.

Introduction

Since the 1980s, industrial field buses have allowed smarter devices, quicker installations, reduced wiring, and easier maintenance. However, the lack of a single, universally accepted field bus has also created confusion, training challenges, high costs, and compatibility issues among equipment.1IO-Link is the first open, field bus agnostic, low-cost, point-to-point serialcommunication protocol used for communicating with sensors and actuators that has been adopted as an international standard (IEC 61131-9).2 It finally standardizes interoperability with the industrial equipment from all over the world. IO-Link can exist directly from the PLC or can be integrated into all standard field buses, quickly making it the defacto standard for universally communicating with smart devices like the Santa Cruz (MAXREFDES23#). IO-Link, being simple yet intelligent, allows for the smallest low-cost smart sensors in the industry.

Santa Cruz is the world's smallest IO-Link light sensor with six integrated sensors ambient light (clear), red, green, blue,infrared, and temperature) all on a tiny printed circuit board (PCB) that is 6.5mm x 25mm. Maxim Integrated, Renesas^®Electronics, and Technologie Management Gruppe Technologie und Engineering (TMG TE) collaborated in designing Santa Cruz as an IO-Link version 1.1/1.0 compliant light sensor reference design. The Santa Cruz design consists of an industry standard Maxim Integrated IO-Link device transceiver (MAX14821), a Renesas ultra-low-power, 16-bit microcontroller (RL78) utilizing TMG TE's IO-Link device stack and a Maxim Integrated light sensor (MAX44008). See Figure 1.

Figure 1. The Santa Cruz reference design block diagram.