Sensors of all kinds are essential in any manufacturing processes as they capture physical variables and convert them into signals that are further processed by PLCs to monitor and control complex systems or entire factories.
Industrial sensors usually rely on a simple processing unit, a microcontroller, and send the measured physical values to the system’s control unit through an analog or a digital interface. With Industry 4.0, more and more sensors rely on communication protocols – like IO-Link – and wireless connectivity to expand bi-directional connectivity down to the individual sensor.
An industrial sensor needs to meet stringent performance requirements – including extended temperature range, sensing stability and accuracy as well as ensure long-term availability.
ST offers a range of MEMS motion and environmental sensors, 8-bit STM8 and 32-bit STM32 microcontrollers and an extensive range of connectivity solutions to help designers successfully meet these challenges.
