Omron Automation has a wireless pushbutton labeled A2W. The pushbutton switch and its application inspired my interest. Many technologies are introduced, and then it takes a while for machine manufacturers to adapt them into designs. Omron has had the A2W since 2017. It is an example of changes in thinking for the industrial automation community in relationship to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0.
The A2W generates electricity every time it is pushed, and that sends the signal back, so the need for a battery is naught. The pushbuttons must be matched to a receiver. The Omron receiver can carry eight pushbuttons or similar inputs. Channel range is 100 m. It can be configured easily by pressing the button after the receiver is put into a configuration mode.
EIS Automation, a provider of modular robotic systems in Las Vegas, Nevada, uses the wireless, battery-less buttons in various applications. When asked, Josh Watson, automation manager at EIS advises that they have used the buttons in more than one place, with various applications. For instance, one customer required an automated guided vehicle (AGV) with start/stop buttons at two different locations. A monorail vehicle used for measurements also uses the buttons. Another application occurs when an operator may be in a precarious location but only to start or stop a sequence, so adding a small button panel that does not need wiring works out for safety. Integration is not hard, and the feedback is simple wired outputs to the controlling programmable logic controller (PLC).
Cost savings may be a wash if you balance the cost of the unit with the typical wiring costs, but the outcome is more flexibility with the application. This is passed down to the customer.
Battery-less technology with wireless is a part of the growth of enabling big data, artificial intelligence and machine-to-machine communications. How might it progress in the future?
Banner Engineering highlights its wireless buttons in the bin-pick and workflow-management applications. This is convenient for assembly lines that may change flows often depending on products or for bins to be modular and made up for mobile cells.
Other applications are sending and receiving data—think Kaizen—direct actions, performance monitoring and perhaps robot interfaces. The future is about modularity and operator interfaces. Wireless, battery-less buttons are another option to stay connected.
