Sensor / Ethernet / Bus
Sensor lines
What is a sensor cable?
Sensor cables are the link between the sensor and a higher-level network component. This component can in turn establish a connection to a fieldbus or an industrial Ethernet. Depending on their type, sensors can output signals in an analogue or digital format. Both analogue and digital signals must, as far as possible, be transmitted unchanged and correctly to the higher-level network components. As a result, certain requirements are placed on the design, quality and installation of the sensor cable.
Nowadays, sensor cables must cover a wide range of applications. These include the transmission of analogue and digital signals, the connection by IO link and the direct integration of the sensor into an industrial Ethernet.
Application of sensor cables
Sensors capture states. The measurements that they capture in the vicinity of machines or vehicles, in industrial plants or in medical technology are forwarded to a receiver via the sensor cable. There, depending on the application, the readings are analysed directly or a corresponding signal is forwarded. Special sensor/actuator connectors, sensor cables with defined properties or distribution cables work at the interface to intelligent machine-to-machine communication.
Depending on the application, there are sensor cables with a shielding braid and without a shielding braid, sensor cables equipped with LEDs, cable chain-compatible sensor cables or sensor cables as connecting cables. For customised assembly or for spatial reasons, sensor cables (LIFYY, LIFY11Y LIF9Y11Y, LIF9YC11Y) are available sold by the metre.
M5, M8 and M12 sensor cables
Sensor cables are on offer in a variety of configurations pre-assembled with a connector. These include the M5 sensor cable, the M8 sensor cable and the M12 sensor cable, which are widespread in the area of automation.
For installation in the field, sensor cables must have a protection class such as IP65, IP67 or IP68. M8 sensor cables and M12 sensor cables with the corresponding connectors are available pre-assembled for this. Pre-assembled sensor cables are available in various forms:
- with a PVC or PUR outer jacket
- assembled from 2 metres
- 3-pin sensor cable, 4-pin to 12-pin sensor cable
- in sizes M5, M8 and M12
- for energy chains
- straight or angled
- as an EMC version with a shield
- with or without LEDs
The M8 and M12 sensor cables assembled at one end from the manufacturer Phoenix Contact, with a PUR outer sheath (halogen-free), are suitable for use with cable chains for up to 4 million bending cycles (protection standard IP65).
Coding of sensor cables
In order to prevent mismatching, assembled sensor cables are encoded. In this segment, A-coding is used. For this, there is a stud between pin 1 and pin 2 on the pin side. The socket side gets a slot in this area. Core colour code in sensor cables
- 3-pin sensor cable: brown, blue, black
- 4-pin sensor cable: brown, white, blue, black
- 5-pin sensor cable: brown, white, blue, black, grey
- 6-pin sensor cable: brown, white, blue, black, grey, pink
- 8-pin sensor cable: white, brown, green, yellow, grey, pink, blue, red
- 12-pin sensor cable: brown, blue, white, green, pink, yellow, black, grey, red, violet, grey/pink, red/blue