Wireless expertise

Wireless is state-of-the-art – and also one of the most effective problem solvers for industrial applications. Particularly in times when industrial routines are increasingly defined by calls for increased flexibility and efficiency, it is becoming more important than ever to optimise processes and reduce costs through specific use of technology.

Problem areas and Wireless

Whether in building automation, factory automation or intralogistics – in countless application fields our customers face a decision: should they use wireless or cabled devices? Cabled switches and sensors are often attributed with having high degrees of reliability and safety, at least as far as machines and plants are concerned, whereas wireless solutions are thought to be more complicated.

This repeatedly raises the question of where wireless products really make sense and constitute a good cost/benefit ratio. We have arrived at the following real-life application fields:

Typical application fields

Rotating machine parts

Rotating machines or machine parts are increasingly being fitted with wireless components. The laying of cables in such cases is either very complicated and expensive, or not possible at all.

Machines with many degrees of freedom

The many different work steps performed by robots usually require extreme freedom of movement, making wireless sensors a necessity: many degrees of freedom lead to cable wear-and-tear or even breakage, which in turn leads to machine downtimes.

Mobile transport systems

The increasing use of non-stationary transport systems in industry is increasing demands for mobility. Without remotely controlled components, such systems are inconceivable.

Laying cables in factory buildings

Wireless solutions eliminate the need to lay cables, and thus reduce service costs. Moreover, the use of low-maintenance remote control in machine and plant parts which are difficult to access is both beneficial and time-saving.

Particularly exposed areas

In factory buildings and production halls, cables are sometimes damaged by falling objects. Here the use of wireless products can help to prevent production processes from being disturbed or interrupted.

Heavily frequented areas

Using cabled switching devices, such as foot switches, in the work area can create tripping hazards. The occupational safety of staff is improved with wireless switching devices.

Your contact partner for Wireless solutions and products

The wireless switches and sensors from steute are used in many different industrial applications and, due to their modular design, can be adapted flexibly to still more application fields. This is possible thanks to our reliable wireless technology sWave®. In addition to safety systems, our application fields for Wireless include Ex zones.

Our Wireless expertise, acquired over the course of countless customer projects and decades of experience manufacturing well-engineered products, facilitates the continual realisation of new applications and complex wireless solutions.

Our Wireless support and consulting services

From individual sensors, to selection of the ideal wireless technology, to customised solutions: with steute as your contact partner, you can count on the experience of true Wireless experts. We have been developing and producing wireless products and wireless network solutions for decades. We also advise and support our customers worldwide in realising new projects and optimising existing applications. Our guiding principle: to maintain fair and long-lasting business relationships on a level playing field.

Our services extend far beyond consulting and project management. On request we can also take care of documentation and the application process for product approvals and certificates. A global sales network with local contact partners in the various countries provides a solid basis for this area of our work.

Potential indoor and outdoor Wireless applications

The application environment, interference-free signal transmission, parallel wireless operation or meteorological influences – the challenges for Wireless products are just as manifold as their application fields. And each new field represents a new technological challenge.

Wireless indoor applications:

Coexistence and parallel operation

Wireless signals also have to function reliably in the presence of other applications. Coexistence on the popular 2.4 GHz frequency band is especially challenging. Most Wi-Fi connections and terminal devices are integrated on this frequency, meaning that large amounts of data are being transported at any one time. This makes the operation of all wireless systems with zero interference all the more important.

The different versions of our sWave® wireless technology facilitate interference-free parallel operation. A single universal wireless technology for all industrial applications and all specific requirements does not exist. It is therefore our goal to generate the ideal wireless technology for each application.

Wireless outdoor applications:

Challenge wireless range

In various outdoor applications, wireless signals sometimes have to bridge distances of several hundred metres. This is the case, for example, with components on railway bridges. Position monitoring of the joint clearances of the bridge is taken care of by wireless magnetic sensors. If a predetermined tolerance is exceeded, the sensor will transmit a signal to a monitoring station approx. 500 m away for evaluation. In order to bridge the distance, a repeater reinforces the signal halfway. The necessary power is, in this case, supplied by a solar panel.

The switches and sensors from steute are equipped with a high IP protection class and, assuming appropriate installation, are suitable for different meteorological conditions.

Wireless technologies in explosive zones

In addition to numerous Wireless product series, steute also provides wireless Ex product variants for different explosive zones.

Our Ex wireless products

The sWave^® Wireless technologies

sWave^® 2.4 GHz-safe

For industrial safety applications, steute has developed the wireless system „sWave® 2.4 GHz-safe“.

Benefits

Low energy consumption
Rapid connection
Low cost
Long battery times

Meets all requirements for robust and safe use in an industrial environment

The new wireless standard was especially developed for the requirements of mechanical and plant engineering. It fulfils high safety standards: TÜV certification to ISO EN 13849-1 Performance Level PL d, as well as IEC 62061 SIL 2. Signal transmission is reliable even in adverse ambient conditions.

High immunity to interference

sWave® 2.4 GHz-safe has been optimised for a range of approx. 15 m, taking into account the interference levels in a typical factory environment. Safety signals are transmitted by remote control, without the bother of cables. Values can deviate depending on the actual ambient conditions.

sWave^® 2.4 GHz

The technology, working on the licence-free frequency band 2.4 GHz, guarantees extremely high reliability and robustness.

Wireless coexistence

Most wireless technologies used today work on the 2.4 GHz frequency band. Devices incorporating these technologies are already permanent fixtures in both offices and production plants. In cases where Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) and sWave® 2.4 GHz are used in parallel, the 2.4 GHz frequency band experiences heavy traffic.

Special procedures, for example frequency hopping, make it possible to realise coexistence with other wireless technologies.

Special features

Specific wireless system for high reliability
Energy-saving 2.4 GHz wireless technology
Short connection times after powering on (< 200 ms)
Short data exchange times (20 ms)
Low power consumption
Coexistence with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Interference-free parallel operation of multiple transmitter and receiver units through special pairing procedure

sWave^® 868 / 915 / 917 / 922 MHz

Wherever moving parts have to be positioned, controlled or monitored on machines and plants, cables are often undesirable or damaged, reducing efficiency and availability.

The solution: wireless switches and sensors which can control and monitor e.g. machine parts and plants in all kinds of industrial applications.

Power supply

Industrial sensors, such as wireless inductive sensors, GMR sensors or optical wireless sensors, require additional power in order to function. These sensors acquire their power via a powerful longlife battery which is integrated in the sensor itself or in a separate wireless unit. The steute product range contains a wide variety of battery-driven wireless switching devices and also wireless sensors, as well as self-sufficient position switches, foot switches and command devices.

Special features

Bidirectional transmission path
Battery-driven and available with power generator
Long range: up to 60 m indoors and 700 m outdoors
No interference with DECT, WiFi, PMR systems, etc.
Good integration in automation systems
Short telegrams (small duty cycle) mean low collision probability

Appropriate functionalities are also available for extended requirements and special cases. In order to meet the needs of these special cases adequately, while guaranteeing reliable signal transmission for our customers at all times, one of our solutions has been to implement LBT functionality.

Avoid data loss – Listen Before Talk

Some applications require that many wireless transmitters are active at the same time. The result is heavy wireless traffic, which in turn can lead to bottlenecks at the air interface.

The problem: wireless protocols are generated in the same time slot and can collide, leading to the loss of data. Our solution: Listen Before Talk.

Listen Before Talk – or LBT for short – is implemented as software in the relevant wireless transmitters. LBT maintains availability in interference situations, i.e. the overlapping of wireless signals, by checking to see if the air interface is free before transmitting. This prevents the collision of wireless telegrams and guarantees reliability, even with increased wireless traffic.

Moreover, the number of repeat transmissions is also increased, enabling conflicts at the air interface to be avoided. The problem of potentially occurring interference should already be taken into account during the planning phase because it is not possible to retrofit with LBT functionality at a later date.

We can help you to digitalise your shop floor

With steute as your contact partner for shop floor digitalisation, you will be able to exploit the optimisation potential of your factory to the full. Using a wireless sensor network solution, you will receive precise information about your production in real time, thus providing you with a digital twin of your production processes. The resulting transparency will facilitate e.g. more precise control over material replenishment processes.

To find out more about our consulting services in the field of lean production, as well as our digital shop floor solution "nexy", please visit our steute Leantec website.

steute-leantec.com

National and international product approvals

On request, we can organise and supervise the certification, validation and documentation of the wireless switches and sensors in accordance with all the relevant European standards, as well as for many additional countries.

European standards

RED 2014/53/EU Radio Equipment Directive
CE marking

Approvals for our sWave^® products

FCC – USA (SW915)
IC – Canada (SW915)
cCSAus – USA/Canada (SW915)
ift – Mexiko (SW915)
ANATEL – Brazil (SW917)
ARIB – Japan (SW922)

Approvals for our safe wireless system sWave^®-safe (SW2.4-safe)

FCC – USA
cCSAus – USA/Canada
TÜV

Approvals for our SW 2.4 products

FCC – USA
IC – Canada
cCSAus – USA/Canada

Please go to the relevant product pages to download all certificates for our switches and sensors. Are you unable to find the approval you require? No problem. On request we can support you with the certification and documentation of our products worldwide.