Glossary · Electrical engineering and control panels
Input module
Also known as: Input card
German: Eingabebaugruppe
In industrial control, an input module is an I/O module that acquires signals from field devices, such as switches, sensors or transmitters, and provides their states or values to the controller.
- Control panels
In one sentence
An input module acquires signals from switches, sensors or transmitters and provides them to the controller.
Example
A 32-channel digital input module collects the end-position signals of all cylinders on the assembly station.
How it applies
- Engineering: Input modules differ by signal type (digital, analog, temperature, counter), input type according to IEC 61131-2, filtering, isolation and diagnostics. Choose sensor supply and module type together.
- Commissioning: Check the input status LEDs and the process image during I/O checks; they show whether a problem lies in the field wiring or in the program.
- Documentation: Document module type, channel assignment and filter settings. Troubleshooting sections in maintenance manuals benefit from explaining what the module LEDs indicate.
- Maintenance: When replacing an input module, check that the new module has the same input type and filter settings; a different type can change which sensors switch reliably.
Input module vs. output module
An input module reads signals from the field; an Output module drives devices in the field. Mixed modules combine both on one card.