31 www.drivesncontrols.com June 2026 COMMUNICATIONS AND NETWORKING n demanding industrial environments. The system offers designers three options: n transmitting data and power simultaneously using a base coupler with a remote coupler. n coupling power without data; or n transmitting data can be without power. Full-duplex Data is exchanged simultaneously in both directions without latency. The use of two parallel 60GHz connections on separate frequency bands – one for the uplink and one for the downlink – enables full-duplex real-time data transmissions. This makes it suitable for time-critical industrial protocols, such as Profinet and EtherCat. Because the transmission technology is protocolindependent, it can be used with any standard Ethernet protocol. The use of near-field communications (NFC) is a key factor in NearFi performance. Unlike conventional far-field communication, which relies on propagating electromagnetic waves that travel indefinitely through space, the energy in NFC does not radiate out indefinitely. It decays rapidly with distance. NFC is a low-power technology that further mitigates the possibility of electromagnetic interference (EMI). The use of NFC also ensures reliable coexistence with existing wireless technologies, such as WLAN or Bluetooth. Also, standard industrial interference spectra do not affect NearFi transmissions, eliminating the need for frequency planning. The limited transmission range means that multiple NearFi links can operate near each other without interference. NFC enables reliable, maintenance-free, high-speed data transmissions with substantial immunity to EMI. An LED ring on the coupler housings displays the connection status and facilitates troubleshooting, thereby speeding up setup and diagnostics. The use of a synchronous, bit-oriented transmission technology is another key to NearFi’s performance. Its bit-oriented technology contrasts with the packetoriented transmission of other wireless communications. Packet-oriented implementations can suffer from significant latency. The data arrives at the transmitter and must be put into packets before transmission. At the receiver end, the packets are unpackaged before the data is output to the system. In NearFi synchronous transmissions, data is sent directly, bit by bit, as it arrives, with no packing or unpacking. This results in a continuous datastream and almost eliminates latency. That’s why NearFi is wellsuited for time-critical industrial Ethernet protocols, such as time-sensitive networking (TSN), Profinet and EtherCat (Fig 1). In addition, because the data is transmitted without buffering or packaging, NearFi is protocol-transparent and can handle any Ethernet protocol without requiring configuration. The technology also addresses security concerns by limiting communications to short distances. It can also support high-level security measures, such as encryption, authentication and tokenisation. Delivering power The system uses inductive power transmission operating in the 100–148.5kHz frequency range – similar to that used for some wireless smartphone chargers. Up to 50W (24V DC at 2A) can be transmitted or, with parallel connections, up to 100W. Active closed-loop control delivers constant power transmission over the entire working area. The transmission of two electrically isolated voltages (each at 50W) is also supported. Like data connections, power delivery uses a base coupler and remote coupler. The base coupler receives 24V DC power from a source such as a controller. An integrated communication power/sensor voltage converter, also known as the US converter, converts the 24V DC power into high-frequency power for inductive transmission. The remote coupler receives high-frequency inductive power and converts it back to 24V DC in the UA (actuator voltage) converter for use in I/O, switches, sensors, actuators and other functions (Fig 2). NearFi’s Fast Startup function allows realtime links to be re-established rapidly, in less than 500ms. This is possible because power transmission and data communications start while the NearFi couplers are still approaching each other. Fast Startup can reduce cycle times significantly in applications such as robot tool changers. The bidirectional data transfer capability also enables a tool (or other attachment) to identify itself to the system, confirming that it is the correct item. NearFi couplers can be brought together facing each other, with an offset, or at a tangential angle. They can also be used in applications where the base coupler is stationary while the remote coupler rotates. NearFi couplers are ready to use out-of-thebox, eliminating the need for programming and speeding up application development and deployment. The same capabilities that make NearFi suitable for use in robot tool changers can also support applications such as AGVs (automated guided vehicles) and material and workpiece carriers. NearFi couplers can replace sliprings in precision indexing tables, as well as in bottle fillers in the food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries. This new technology solves a host of seemingly intractable problems. It delivers protocol-agnostic 100Mbit/s Ethernet wirelessly, as well as 50W of power. The couplers are designed for use in harsh industrial settings, with IP65 and IK06 ratings, as well as M12 connections. n Above, Fig 1: NearFi uses bit-based transmissions to mitigate latency challenges associated with traditional packet-based communications. Right, Fig 2: Power is coupled inductively between a base coupler and a remote coupler.
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