Book Image

Industrial Automation from Scratch

By : Olushola Akande
Book Image

Industrial Automation from Scratch

By: Olushola Akande

Overview of this book

Industrial automation has become a popular solution for various industries looking to reduce manual labor inputs and costs by automating processes. This book helps you discover the abilities necessary for excelling in this field. The book starts with the basics of industrial automation before progressing to the application of switches, sensors, actuators, and motors, and a direct on-line (DOL) starter and its components, such as circuit breakers, contactors, and overload relay. Next, you'll explore VFDs, their parameter settings, and how they can be wired and programmed for induction motor control. As you advance, you'll learn the wiring and programming of major industrial automation tools – PLCs, HMIs, and SCADA. You’ll also get to grips with process control and measurements (temperature, pressure, level, and flow), along with analog signal processing with hands-on experience in connecting a 4–20 mA transmitter to a PLC. The concluding chapters will help you grasp various industrial network protocols such as FOUNDATION Fieldbus, Modbus, PROFIBUS, PROFINET, and HART, as well as emerging trends in manufacturing (Industry 4.0) and its empowering technologies (such as IoT, AI, and robotics). By the end of this book, you’ll have gained a practical understanding of industrial automation concepts for machine automation and control.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1: Learning the Concepts and Skills Required to Get Started
8
Part 2: Understanding PLC, HMI, and SCADA
14
Part 3: Process Control, Industrial Network, and Smart Factory

Understanding proximity sensors (capacitive, inductive, and photoelectric)

Proximity sensors are commonly used in industrial applications. Knowledge of proximity sensors can help you understand other types of sensors.

Proximity sensors detect the presence or absence of objects using electromagnetic fields, light, or sound. There are various types, each suited to a specific environment or application.

The available types of proximity sensors are as follows:

  • Inductive proximity sensors
  • Capacitive proximity sensors
  • Photoelectric proximity sensors

In the next few sections, we are going to discover each of these proximity sensors.

Inductive proximity sensor

This is a non-contact sensor that detects ferrous metals, such as carbon steel, stainless steel, and cast iron.

An inductive proximity sensor consists of a coil, oscillator, detection circuit, and output. The oscillator provides an oscillating magnetic field that radiates around the winding of the coil, which is located at the sensor...