Objective
The objective of this project was to specify, implement, validate, demonstrate and promote a digital fieldbus for use at the lowest level of the industrial automation hierarchy. The fieldbus aims at replacing current technology and specific proprietary solutions.
A digital fieldbus for use at the lowest level of the industrial automation hierarchy was developed. The fieldbus replaces current technology and specific proprietary solutions. New functionalities of interworking with the higher of the factory levels were addressed. Within the communication profile, particular emphasis was placed on the application layer, function blocks and network management. Work performed on international standardization was analysed. Fieldbus profiles have been specified in a fieldbus implementation guide.
Fieldbus connections for field devices were implemented and demonstrated in an experimental pilot. The pilot contributed towards the validation of fieldbus technology in process control and discrete parts manufacturing applications, and showed the integration of the fieldbus with the higher level network communications network for manufacturing applications (CNMA) in the computer integrated manufacture (CIM) environment. Further experimental and real production pilots were specified, and interoperability and integration testing methodologies studied.
Exploitation
The results will contribute to the pre-normative process and to international standardisation work, particularly in the area of fieldbus.
Coordinator
76131 Karlsruhe
Germany
Participants (19)
63500 Seligenstadt
91301 Massy
16154 Genova
92800 Puteaux
1015 Lausanne
79689 Maulburg
48100 Mungia (Vizcaya)
1228 Plan-les-ouates
83500 La Seyne-sur-mer
32425 Minden
70124 Bari
5600 MD Eindhoven
0314 Oslo
7500 Karlsruhe
81673 München
4000 Porto
70174 Stuttgart
76131 Karlsruhe
92141 Clamart
