Santa Cruz (MAXREFDES23#): IO-Link Light Sensor

Feb 14, 2014

Abstract: Maxim's Santa Cruz (MAXREFDES23#) reference design is the world's smallest IO-Link® light sensor compliant with IEC 61131-9. The Santa Cruz has six different types of sensors: ambient light (clear), red, green, blue, infrared, and is also a temperature sensor. The entire design fits onto a 6.5mm x 25mm printed circuit board (PCB).

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.1 IO-Link is the first open, field bus agnostic, low-cost, point-to-point serial communication 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.
The Santa Cruz reference design block diagram.

Figure 1. The Santa Cruz reference design block diagram.

Features

Applications

    World's smallest IO-Link light sensor: 6.5mm x 25mm
    Low cost
    IEC 61131-9
    IO-Link version 1.1 and 1.0 compliant
    Field bus agnostic
    Transient voltage suppressor (TVS) diodes that meet
    IEC 61000-4-2 (ESD)
    IEC 61000-4-4 (EFT)
    Automatic sensor replacement
    Low power
    Reverse polarity and short-circuit protected

Competitive Advantages

    Smallest size
    M12 circular housing compatible/no large box case needed
    Low cost

Visit Maxim Integrated to download the complete reference design