

Optocouplers rely on light emitting diodes to convert electrical signals to light, and on photo detectors to convert the light back to electrical signals. These submicron devices can thus have higher performance, a more integrated feature set, lower power consumption, and significantly smaller board area than previous generation-ns of high-voltage products. This combination allows a single chip design to mix-and-match 5-V CMOS and higher voltage 16-, 24-, or 30-V CMOS circuitry-with multiple supply voltages running to the same chip. One example of a process technology that combines high-voltage devices, submicron CMOS, and complementary bipolar transistors is iCMOS from Analog Devices. 2: Process Technology used in Analog Output Module Solutions. Figure 2 shows where these different process technologies address the different areas of the industrial automation and process control signal chain.įig. Newer high-voltage industrial processes enable the development of signal processing converters and amplifiers for these high analog content, high accuracy applications-and of products that provide signal isolation when required. Silicon process technology development plays an integral part in providing a platform for component development, enabling products that directly target specific applications to be developed. Process Technology Supporting Industrial Automation and Process Control Designs
#Analog output factory full#
Some system designs may also require full isolation on the analog side this necessitates the use of single channel converters to maximize the isolation between channels, and transformers to provide isolated power. Opto-couplers or digital isolators provide galvanic isolation between the field side (I/O, digital-to-analog converters, and their associated signal conditioning circuitry) and the bus side (controller and the digital circuitry). Analog output ranges include 5 V, 10 V, 0″10 V, 4″20 mA, and 20 mA, with DAC settling time requirements varying from 10 ¼s to 100 ms, depending on the application. Analog Output Control Module Controls Valves/Actuators in Process Controlĭesigns range in resolution from 12 to 16 bits, offering 0.1% accuracy over the industrial temperature range. The design requirements for these systems center on the selection of digital-to-analog converter (DAC), signal conditioning, and isolation to perform the conversion from the digital domain to the analog domain and control the valves and actuators.įigure1. Figure 1 shows a typical configuration for an output module regulating a process control plant. In industrial automation and process control applications, the analog output module transmits analog signals (voltage or current) that operate controls such as hydraulic actuators, solenoids, and motor starters.
