I have an application where a customer wants to measure the position of the spreader on a gantry crane for tracking/logging. The spreader being the part that is raised/lowered to snatch the object needing to be raised/lower.
For all intensive purposes, lets say the only way to measure the distance the spreader has been lowered/raised, is to attach an ENCODER on the cable drum.
Also, this crane is mounted on rails for it to shuttle itself up/down the factory floor transporting the load.
The encoder will need to be monitored by a PLC. One theory was to connect the ethernet encoder to a wireless Bluetooth Bridge like a Wago or Anybus, and bridge it back to the network where the PLC doing the tracking resides.
Has anyone ever done this, or have any suggestions? Is this even feasible over a Bluetooth bridge....or, even a WIFI bridge?
I am not looking for a huge update rate nor do any type of control from the encoder. Again, this is strictly for tracking/logging of the spreader.
FYI - The crane control system I am not allowed to access. The encoder and bridge would be a separate system attached to the crane.
For all intensive purposes, lets say the only way to measure the distance the spreader has been lowered/raised, is to attach an ENCODER on the cable drum.
Also, this crane is mounted on rails for it to shuttle itself up/down the factory floor transporting the load.
The encoder will need to be monitored by a PLC. One theory was to connect the ethernet encoder to a wireless Bluetooth Bridge like a Wago or Anybus, and bridge it back to the network where the PLC doing the tracking resides.
Has anyone ever done this, or have any suggestions? Is this even feasible over a Bluetooth bridge....or, even a WIFI bridge?
I am not looking for a huge update rate nor do any type of control from the encoder. Again, this is strictly for tracking/logging of the spreader.
FYI - The crane control system I am not allowed to access. The encoder and bridge would be a separate system attached to the crane.
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