Glossary · Industrial communication
PROFINET IO device
Also known as: IO device, PROFINET device
German: PROFINET-IO-Device
In PROFINET, an IO device is a field device, such as remote I/O, a drive or a valve terminal, that is assigned to an IO controller and exchanges the input and output data of its modules and submodules with that controller cyclically.
- Industrial communication
- Standards
In one sentence
A PROFINET IO device is a field device such as remote I/O or a drive that exchanges cyclic I/O data with its assigned IO controller.
Example
The labeler of a packaging line has a PROFINET IO device with eight digital input modules and two drive axes; its GSDML file lists these modules for the line PLC's configuration.
How it applies
- Engineering: An IO device is structured into slots and subslots that hold its modules. Its GSDML file describes this structure, the supported PROFINET conformance class and the parameters.
- Commissioning: Each device needs a unique device name, assigned with the engineering tool or automatically through topology detection. The IP address then comes from the PROFINET IO controller.
- Maintenance: Devices that support replacement without an engineering tool get their name from their neighbors when they sit at the same port as the old device. This only works if the topology is configured and the new device is in its factory state.
- Documentation: The documentation team documents the device name, the slot and module layout, the I/O data map, the LED and diagnostic codes and the step-by-step device replacement procedure.