HIPERFACE DSL Open Interface

SICK is opening up the HIPERFACE DSL interface and, in doing so, is making the technology available to all users. The market is now set to be provided with yet more extensive solutions. Manufacturers of servo drive technology will benefit from an enhanced product portfolio and gain the security of working with an open and established interface. The HIPERFACE DSL open interface also brings together all the advantages of a digital real-time interface: One Cable Technology, continuous condition monitoring and – as a result – enormous potential for improved economic efficiency.

By opening up the interface, the expert for motor feedback systems is aiming to drive forward its development and the success story of HIPERFACE DSL, and to offer optimal solutions for motor and drive suppliers, especially in the context of Industry 4.0. SICK anticipates that opening the interface will bring in customer requests for a wide range of motor feedback systems. The interfaces to be supported by servo drives will be minimized and SICK will thus create an open market standard by opening the previously proprietary interface.

One Cable Technology made its debut in servo drive technology in 2011 with HIPERFACE DSL from SICK. With its many advantages, HIPERFACE DSL has fast become recognized as the industry standard in One Cable Technology and is now the leading standard protocol for digital feedback systems in servo drive technology. It offers every market partner – motor and drive suppliers, mechanical engineers, and end customers – both technical and economic advantages. What’s more, the digital interface meets all the requirements for the condition-oriented maintenance of machines in the Industry 4.0 environment.

HIPERFACE DSL complies with the RS485 standard and enables reliable data transfer between drive and motor in servo drive systems via two wires which are directly integrated into motor cables with a length of up to 100 m. Electric drives featuring motor feedback systems and an integrated HIPERFACE DSL interface have a distinctive outward appearance with just one motor connector. Hybrid cables that combine both servo and encoder elements are becoming increasingly popular. Signals coming from other sensors that are integrated into the digital motor feedback protocol are also transfered. Special processes and the application of pulse transformers ensure that the encoder signal is decoupled from disturbances created by the motor power cable cores.

HIPERFACE DSL supports the functionality of the electronic type label for automatic drive configuration. Motor specifications, serial numbers and part numbers, and other data are stored here and used to adjust the drive to the motor parameters automatically and when servicing is required.