Connectivity Solutions for Industrial Applications Unveiled

Amid industry demands for both energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, STMicroelectronics (hereinafter ST) has unveiled various connectivity solutions for industrial applications.

ST participated in the "2022 Smart Factory and Automation Industry Expo" held at Seoul COEX from April 6 to 8, showcasing △an all-in-one 12+12 IOs Industrial PLC demo using IPS △a Bluetooth® Low Energy mesh network solution △a smart lighting control system using KNX TP communication and BLE control, and others.

Min-ho Kang, Director at ST, stated the purpose of participation by saying, "As the Industry 4.0 factory and building automation market is expected to grow rapidly, we have prepared various demos to respond to this and will lead the domestic automation market."

The "all-in-one 12+12 IOs Industrial PLC demo using IPS" is a demo equipped with ST's Intelligent Power Switch (IPS) product. In factory automation using PLC, the demo showcased current energy being supplied through programmed paths using electronic switches called IPS to deliver electrical energy to various electromechanical devices. ST's IPS supplies a maximum voltage of 60V and features low-voltage protection and overvoltage cutoff functions. Jung-rak Lee, Director at ST, cited as the advantages of the company's IPS that it reduces the number of components while ensuring system stability and accessibility.

The "Bluetooth® Low Energy mesh network solution" is a demo implementing a Bluetooth LE mesh network based on ST's BlueNRG family and STM32WB family. As a demo controlling lighting in homes and factories, each device is pre-connected, permissions are set through provisioning, security is enhanced, and settings are configured to prevent external hacking. Sung-yu Seong, Director at ST, explained, "ST has received certification for Bluetooth LE Mesh Profile 1.0.1 and provides certified mesh libraries free of charge on our website. It can be used not only in smart factories but also in homes."

The "smart lighting control system using KNX TP communication and BLE control" is a demo implemented by applying KNX TP and KNX RF solutions of the KNX standard currently being applied in home and building automation. It is comprised of using the STKNX product for KNX TP to supply electrical energy from KNX power to LED lighting, and two KNX RF boards with embedded RF products of S2-LP and software FW to transmit and receive signals controlling the lighting. Through wired and wireless configurations, the color and brightness of lighting can be changed, allowing application to various smart lighting applications.