Industrial Wireless Connectivity Technology
Wireless Connectivity for Industrial Applications
Wireless communications have been used in industrial applications for many years, with basic controls of cranes and other moving devices among the first deployments. The implementation of a more standardized wireless connectivity technology in recent decades has increased deployment into a broader range of end equipment.
In industrial applications, no single wireless technology is king. Low bandwidth and low power technologies are best for meter deployments with occasional connectivity needs. In contrast, for autonomous guided vehicles (AGV) deployed in busy factory floors with multiple sensors communicating simultaneously and continuously, higher bandwidth options are needed.
Analog Devices’ range of wireless communications technology enables connectivity to sensors in remote and hard-to-access hazardous locations without the need to deploy a wired network. ADI offers highly advanced wireless subsystems and complete signal chain solutions focused on reducing the design burden and speeding up deployment. These solutions include SmartMesh®, 5G, Bluetooth® low energy (BLE), and 60 GHz latency-free wireless data interconnects. If you want a reliable wireless connectivity, ADI has the proven technology to get you started today.
SmartMesh: Wireless for Tough Industrial IIoT Environments
ADI’s SmartMesh transceivers are the industry’s lowest power and most reliable standards-based wireless sensor network (WSN) solutions, enabling extended battery life. By delivering >99.999% data reliability in tough RF environments, SmartMesh networks are entrusted by industrial internet of things (IIoT) solution providers to deliver critical low bandwidth sensor measurement data from hazardous remote locations. SmartMesh products require no network stack development, and offer encryption, authentication, and message integrity checks.
Discover a proven and robust wireless solution that meets the requirements for industrial connected sensors. SmartMesh and SmartMesh WirelessHART are wireless networks designed for the harshest industrial environments where low power, reliability, resilience, and scalability are key.
5G: Ultrareliable, Low Latency Wireless Connectivity
With ultrareliable, low latency connectivity (URLLC), 5G technology expands the potential of wireless connectivity in manufacturing and other industrial applications. Now, even the harshest RF environments can add connectivity almost anywhere, increasing machine data capture, improving workspace flexibility, and eliminating significant cable bundles. ADI is the market leader in 5G radio technology and has developed an extensive ecosystem of partners to deploy 5G private networks for brownfield operations and greenfield factories of the future.
Explore ADI’s range of reference solutions for 5G radio units built on the market leading, low power RadioVerse™ SOC family. Developed to eliminate design hurdles and speed up time to market, these are complete, interoperability tested (O-RAN 7.2× split), RU design platforms (EVT) that can be easily optimized for specific applications.
60 GHz Latency-Free Wireless Data Link
Bluetooth, WLAN, and 5G are all effective ways to transmit and receive data. However, all packet-based wireless connectivity standards have one issue in common: latency across the link. Therefore, communication is not real-time. This can impair the reaction time of a piece of machinery from when an instruction is created to when that instruction is received and executed. Industrial automation uses real-time protocols (for example, EtherCAT), which require negligible latency for communications, so the wireless link must provide a latency-free connection.
The solution is to remove the packet-based transmission protocol and migrate to a bit stream that is sent directly. This technology brings to life the possibility of a true wireless data link for robot arm interconnect, which is hundreds of times faster than the fastest 5G connection.
With the increased investment in robotics to harness automated processes, ADI delivers the solution to enable industrial efficiencies and reduction in work errors. Latencies that could stack up over time and create a large cost to the factory are no longer a consideration using real-time wireless links.
Get Started with 60 GHz Wireless Data Interconnect
ADI’s ADMV9611 and ADMV9621 60 GHz solution delivers a true wireline-like performance. The ADMV9611 and ADMV9621 PCB subsystems create a complete millimeter wave (mmWave) wireless link that delivers full duplex operation. With this technology, ADI has made possible real-time, highly reliable connectivity for industrial automation applications.
Explore ADI’s 60 GHz mmW short data link:
Key Benefits of ADI’s 60 GHz Technology
Ultralow Latency
Wireless is known for latency-inherent networks. Wi-Fi can produce 20 ms latency for Ethernet transmission, while 5G is targeting 1 ms. With 60 GHz links, the latency is in the 2 µs range, orders of magnitude faster than 5G.
Protocol Agnostic
Using ADI’s 60 GHz bits-in/bit-out solution, existing systems or equipment utilizing popular wired protocols can be seamlessly integrated for system adaptation.
Offset and Alignment Tolerant
To enable a versatile assembly and operational environment, ADI’s 60 GHz link technology does not suffer loss in performance when wireless connectors are misaligned. Due to this offset and alignment tolerance, this technology can be used in rotation equipment without impacting the performance of the link, thereby replacing the more traditional wired contact systems.
Ruggedness Against Dusty Environment
The 60 GHz links are unaffected by dirt and debris between the connectors. This means that a 60 GHz solution can be used in the harshest of environments without loss in performance.
Partnership Fuels Factory 4.0
Read a testimonial from our design collaboration with Phoenix Contact, a leader in the world of industrial solutions.
Contactless Slip Ring Replacement Applications
A 60 GHz wireless link technology is highly suitable to replace the existing slip ring technology. Slip rings are used in rotational joints (rotary joints) and can serve to transfer data across a rotating assembly. This is traditionally done using brushes, which make physical contact to a rotor. But brushes break down over time and require repair and replacement. Depending on the assembly in use, this can be costly, especially when large assemblies need to be repaired or replaced. Also, the routine maintenance involved in verifying correct assembly operation can be tedious and expensive. Using ADI’s 60 GHz link technology removes the physical contact and enables the rotary joint using a contactless method, reducing routine maintenance, repair, or replacement.
| Parameter | Description |
| Rotational speeds | 5000 rpm to 6000 rpm |
| Data rates | 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps+ |
| Protocol | IEEE802.3, TSN, and other |
| BER | 1 × 10-12 or better |
| Immune to misalignments, EMI, crosstalk, and contaminants; maintenance-free, compatible with power interface | |
Rotary Joint—High Level Block Diagram and Requirements
BLE: Ultra Low Power, Leading-Edge Security Wireless Connectivity
BLE continues to be a cornerstone in the building of a smarter and more connected world. As millions of wireless devices are deployed in new applications such as smart buildings, smart homes, and smart factories, it raises inherent challenges in how to power and secure these edge devices. ADI’s Darwin family of microcontrollers, with an ultra low power integrated BLE 5.2 radio, is purpose-built to solve these unique challenges.
Radio
Bluetooth 5.2 SoC supports angle-of-arrival (AoA) and angle-of-departure (AoD) roles in Bluetooth Direction Finding. It also supports LE audio, long range, and high throughput 2 Mbps features. Mesh protocols such as Bluetooth Mesh and Zigbee are also supported.
Low Power
Extends battery life through an active-mode power as low as 27.3 µA/MHz. On-board SIMO offers dynamic voltage scaling for minimized active core power consumption. Multiple operating modes with fast wake-up times supports power optimization for any application.
Secure and Reliable
- Built on 30 years of leading-edge, hardware-based security (AES, ECDSA, SHA-2/3, PUF).
- Error correcting code on all embedded memories for added robustness.
Size
Variety of packaging options and as small as 10.2 mm².
Latest Resources
Technical Articles
Solutions Bulletins & Brochures
Videos
- Bluetooth Low Energy: Dissecting the Controller Layer—Part 5 of 7
- Bluetooth Low Energy: All About BLE Security—Part 6 of 7
- Bluetooth Low Energy: Developing an Application—Part 7 of 7
- Bluetooth Low Energy: How to Define a BLE Application—Part 2 of 7
- Bluetooth Low Energy: Understanding GAP Roles—Part 3 of 7