CiA^® 463: CANopen device profile for IO-Link gateway

The CiA device profile for IO-Link gateways consists of three parts: B, C, and F. Part B specifies the operating principles and application data for IO-Link gateway devices. Part C specifies the mapping of the profile to CANopen CC (classic), while part F covers the mapping to CANopen FD.

A CANopen/IO-Link gateway is a CANopen device that hosts one CANopen device and one or more IO-Link masters. The core function of the gateway is to enable data transfer between the "CANopen-side" and the "IO-Link-side" of the device. The IO-Link master facilitates point-to-point communication through ports to IO-Link devices, managing the assembly and disassembly of all data transmitted to or from these devices.

IO-Link, standardized in IEC 61131-9, specifies a single-drop digital communication interface technology designed for connecting small sensors and actuators (IO-Link devices) to an IO-Link master. This digital point-to-point communication uses a three-wire IO-Link cable and supports transmission rates of 4,8 kbit/s, 38,4 kbit/s, and 230,4 kbit/s.

As illustrated in the figure, data received via RPDOs (receive process data objects) at the CANopen interface of a CANopen/IO-Link gateway are treated as process data (PD) outputs and are transferred from the IO-Link master to an IO-Link device. The PD input of an IO-Link master represents the data transmitted from an IO-Link device to the master. In CANopen networks, PD inputs are transferred via TPDOs (transmit process data objects).