Development of a Guideline for the Sensor Layout Plan
Authors: Steinbach Tanja , Roehm Benjamin , Anderl Reiner 
Published: June 2022

With the increasing relevance of Industry 4.0 and the associated data-based processes, efficient and structured data collection is becoming increasingly important. Currently, sensors are used in a large majority of industries to enable automation processes and to check product quality. The collected data is evaluated directly in the plant to control processes. Apart from this, other production and usage data are in most cases either not collected at all or not collected in a targeted manner. This is because manufacturing companies are often more focused on the purely functional aspects of a plant and attach too little importance to the potential of data.However, the targeted collection and processing of data will become increasingly important in the future. Some application examples of this are the digital twin, condition monitoring, predictive maintenance or remote access. These applications can significantly optimize industrial production processes concerning the three most important factors of time, cost and quality. The basis of these and other applications is data that must be collected, transmitted and processed in a targeted manner. The aspect of targeting is important so that no relevant data is missing for the intended purposes and sensors have to be retrofitted at great expense. With a view to sustainability, on the other hand, unnecessary data should not be transmitted and stored, so that networks and databases are not unnecessarily burdened.To be able to collect data purposefully, appropriate sensors must be available. Since the retrofitting of such sensors is complex, expensive and sometimes not possible afterwards, the type, number and position of the necessary sensors should already be considered during product and system development. Since there is currently no standardized procedure regarding efficient sensor planning for the development department, it's necessary to develop a guideline for this area that supports the employees. The result of this development on the one hand is the guideline, which suggests and accompanies an efficient procedure for sensor planning. On the other hand, it is the Sensor Layout Plan (SLP) itself, which as a standardized document focuses on the sensor technology in products and plants and maps all relevant information in a holistic approach.The guideline for the SLP is based on a structured approach. It includes a holistic analysis of sensor needs and a model-based methodology for planning sensor selection and placement in products or plants. First step in creating an SLP according to the developed guideline is to analyze the required data and planned data usage. The company's business model plays a primary role. In the second step, the current actual and currently possible data collection is analyzed. Then the selection of the required instruments for data collection takes place. Besides sensors, calculations, for example based on artificial intelligence, or simulations are also possible. After the selection of the sensor technology, the placement and positioning are considered in the hardware and in the software. The topic of data storage and management is considered conclusively.