How PLC Smart Gateways Perform Data Acquisition

 

In the modern industrial sector, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are widely employed in automated control systems.

 To achieve efficient, stable, and reliable data acquisition and communication, PLC smart gateways play a crucial role. Wutongbolian's PLC smart gateways enable the connection of multiple types of PLC devices and support various internet access methods, including 5G/4G/WIFI/Ethernet, catering to diverse PLC application scenarios.

Data Acquisition Process of PLC Smart Gateways

1. Connecting to PLC Controllers: The gateway device establishes a communication link with the PLC controller to collect data.

    It performs protocol parsing (such as Modbus, S7, OPC UA, etc.) to communicate with the PLC.

2. Data Acquisition: After successful connection and configuration, the gateway periodically collects data from the PLC controller, including sensor measurements, device status, alarm information, etc.

3. Data Processing and Conversion: The acquired data can be processed and converted, or left unchanged, to facilitate integration with other systems or cloud platforms.

    The gateway's edge computing algorithms enable data cleaning, calculations, and other operations on the collected data.

4. Data Transmission: The standardized data is then transmitted over the network to a cloud platform or local upper computer.

    The PLC smart gateway supports multiple communication methods, such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 4G, and 5G, to ensure reliable data transmission.

Advantages of PLC Smart Gateways

1. Rich Protocol Library: PLC smart gateways support a variety of common communication protocols, such as Modbus RTU/TCP, OPC UA, Profibus, etc., enabling rapid connection with PLC controllers from different brands.

    They can also interface with cloud platforms using protocols like MQTT and Modbus, simplifying data acquisition and communication.

2. Flexible Data Acquisition Configuration: The gateway provides an intuitive and user-friendly configuration interface, allowing users to flexibly configure data acquisition parameters.

    Users can specify the types of data to collect, the frequency, and sampling points, as well as choose the platform to which the data will be collected, such as cloud configuration platforms or MES systems, to meet different application scenarios.

3. Data Processing and Format Conversion: The gateway boasts powerful data processing capabilities, enabling standardized data processing, format conversion, data cleaning, and calculations. For instance, it can transmit data to the cloud platform in a standard JSON format via the MQTT protocol, making the collected data more understandable and integrated.