Programmable logic controllers
Chapter 4
I/O Processing
CH 4 I/O Processing
Input/ Output Units
Input/ Output Units
Analog. Discrete. Digital.
A signal for which
the size is related A sequence of
Essentially just an
to the size of the pulses.
on/off signal.
quantity being
sensed
Input Units
DC input unit.
AC input unit.
I/O Processing
When analog signals are inputted to a PLC,
the input channel needs to convert the
signal to a digital signal using an analog-to-
digital converter. With a rack-mounted
system this may be achieved by mounting a
suitable analog input card in the rack. So
that one analog card is not required for each
analog input, multiplexing is generally used.
This involves more than one analog input
being connected to the card and then
electronic switches used to select each input
in turn. Cards are typically available
containing 4, 8, or 16 analog inputs.
I/O Processing
A single analog input signal gives rise to on-off
output signals along perhaps eight separate wires.
The eight signals then constitute the so-termed
digital word corresponding to the analog input
signal level. With such an 8-bit converter there
are 28 = 256 different digital values possible; these
are 0000 0000 to 1111 1111, i.e. 0 to 255. The
digital output goes up in steps and the analogue
voltages required to produce each digital output
are termed quantization levels. an analog-to-digital converter(ADC)
I/O Processing
The analog voltage has to change by the difference in
analogue voltage between successive levels if the binary
output is to change. The term resolution is used for the
smallest change in analogue voltage which will give rise to
a change in one bit in the digital output. With an 8-bit ADC,
if, say, the full-scale analogue input signal varies between 0
and 10 V then a step of one digital bit involves an analog
input change of 10/255 V or about 0.04 V. This means that
a change of 0.03 V in the input will produce no change in
the digital output.
I/O Processing
If a 10-bit ADC is used then 210 = 1024 different digital values are possible and, for the full-
scale analog input of 0 to 10 V, a step of one digital bit involves an analog input change of
10/1023 V or about 0.01 V.
If a 12-bit ADC is used then 212 = 4096 different digital values are possible and, for the full-
scale analog input of 0 to 10 V, a step of one digital bit involves an analog input change of
10/4095 V or about 2.4 mV. In general, the resolution of an n-bit ADC is 1/(2n – 1).
Output Units
Signal Conditioning
Standard analog signal
0 level represented by 4 mA and the 1 m represented
by 20 mA.
4.2.1 Changing Voltage Levels
(a) inverting amplifier
(b) a noninverting amplifier
The sensor is connected in a
Wheatstone bridge and the out-of-
balance potential difference amplified
by a differential amplifier before
being fed via an analog-to-digital
converter unit which is part of the
analogue input port of the PLC.
Networks
The term local area network (LAN) is used to describe a communications network designed to link
computers and their peripherals within the same building or site
(a) star (b) bus/single highway (c) ring.
4.4.1 Distributed Systems
The term SCADA, which stands for supervisory control and data
acquisition system, is widely used for such a system.
Processing Inputs
1. Scan all the inputs and copy
into RAM
2. Fetch, decode, and execute all
program instructions in sequence,
copying output instructions to RAM.
3. Update all outputs.
4. Repeat the sequence.
How to calculate the maximum frequency of digital
impulses
The time taken to complete a cycle of scanning inputs and updating
outputs according to the program instructions is called the cycle time.
Given : a PLC with a cycle time of 40 ms
Example
What is the maximum frequency of digital
impulses that can be detected?
The maximum frequency will be if one pulse occurs every
40 ms, that is, a frequency of 1/0.04 = 25 Hz.
Scanning time for a PLC
The cycle or scanning time for a PLC, i.e. its response speed, is
determined by:
1. The CPU used.
2. The size of the program to be scanned.
3. The number of inputs/outputs to be read.
4. The system functions that are in use; the greater the
number, the slower the scanning time.
I/O Addresses
inputs outputs
Mitsubishi &Toshiba
X400, X401 Y430, Y431
Allen-Bradley
Address I:012/03. This would indicate an input, rack 01, module 2 and terminal 03.
Siemens
I0.1 is an input at bit 1 in byte 0, Q2.0 is an output at bit 0 in byte 2.
