The impact of Ethernet on AS-Interface
May 2005
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Ethernet has become a hot topic in automation. The question is which automation problems will be solved with Ethernet and which will be solved with already existing fieldbus systems.
Will Ethernet replace all existing fieldbus systems like Profibus, DeviceNet, InterBus, CAN and AS-Interface? Will AS-Interface, as the only sensor-actuator-bus system for binary sensors and actuators, disappear - or is AS-Interface the ideal partner system in the sensor actuator level for Ethernet installations?
The problem of realtime data transmission via Ethernet has been widely discussed and has been solved within some limits. Thus automation devices can be connected with Ethernet used as fieldbus. The future will see many fieldbus installations being replaced by Ethernet installations, and both solutions will be used parallel for factory automation. Protocols out of the Internet world such as HTTP and FTP enables standard tools like web browsers to display information. This enables remote maintenance via the Internet. Each device can get its own web server with its own homepage. Different fieldbus systems can be connected to the Ethernet via gateways that act as proxy servers. In that way the respective data of the various fieldbus nodes can be transmitted via Ethernet.
AS-Interface comes from the very lowest level of networking binary sensors and actuators. That aspect has mostly been left out in the discussion of Ethernet in automation. However, it is important because the quantity of binary sensors and actuators makes up about 90% of all automation devices. The development of AS-Interface was based on the requirements of the actuator sensor level.
The intention was that the commissioning of an AS-Interface installation had to be very simple. The easy handling and the quick connection of AS-Interface slaves to the yellow cable using the piercing technology are the big advantages of AS-Interface. A single unshielded two-wire cable is used both for powering the AS-Interface slaves and data transmission. Because of the ability to have AS-Interface modules with only a few inputs and outputs, or even integrated sensors or actuators there is no parallel wiring in machines and plants. Ethernet I/O modules need at least 16 binary I/O to be efficient. Can you imagine a single binary sensor with its own Ethernet interface and homepage?
The big advantage of AS-Interface is the cost efficiency because of rapid cabling, commissioning and also the use of diagnostics in the sensor level. AS-Interface can be connected to Ethernet either via fieldbus, or directly. With the use of Bihl+Wiedemann's AS-Interface/Ethernet Gateway in stainless steel, both Ethernet and AS-Interface can be combined in an optimal way. While control tasks are solved within the Ethernet level, the binary sensors and actuators are communicating via AS-Interface. The use of the gateway's internal web server offers the possibility to display the all AS-Interface data with the help of a standard browser.
AS-Interface is a suitable sub system to network binary sensors and actuators. It does not matter if AS-Interface is a sub system to already existing fieldbus systems or to Ethernet. Users who invest in AS-Interface today can be sure that they have invested in a system fulfilling the requirements of the future. Ethernet and AS-Interface do work together.
Further reading:
Remote I/O modules provide flexible options for distributed applications
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Dinkle International is now stocking the iO-GRID NEMO industrial-grade remote input/output modules, offering support for five leading industrial Ethernet protocols and a range of discrete channel configurations for distributed automation applications.
Read more...
Local energy solutions rewiring resilience across Africa
News Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Engineers across Africa are developing practical, scalable energy and mobility solutions supported by the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.
Read more...
Daudin expands fieldbus modular remote I/O series
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
: The Dinkle iO-GRID X modular remote I/O family is now available, offering fieldbus coupler modules for major industrial Ethernet protocols, and over 20 types of I/O modules to help integrators and equipment builders create flexible, efficient control systems.
Read more...
Siemens and HighByte partner to scale industrial AI
Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Siemens is expanding its Industrial Edge ecosystem through a partnership with HighByte, enabling customers to connect, contextualise and transform data from operational technology and information technology sources to build AI models and applications at scale.
Read more...
Automotive Ethernet media converter
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
HMS Networks has introduced its first automotive ethernet product under the PEAK brand. The PAE-Media Converter is a compact device designed to connect automotive Ethernet (100BASE-T1 or 1000BASE-T1) with standard Ethernet (100BASE-TX or 1000BASE-T) networks.
Read more...
3D electrical systems design workflow for electromechanical innovation
Siemens South Africa
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking IT in Manufacturing
Siemens has announced new 3D electrical design capabilities within its Capital software, enabling electrical and mechanical engineers to work concurrently in a shared 3D environment to reduce late-stage design changes and accelerate time to market for complex electromechanical products.
Read more...
Long-distance signal delivery is critical to rail safety
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
A remote monitoring specialist explains why fibre optic technology is increasingly replacing copper cabling in safety-critical railway signalling systems.
Read more...
Building efficiency into cement production with SCADA and IIoT
Adroit Technologies
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
For decades, Adroit Technologies has worked alongside leading cement producers, helping them gain greater visibility into their operations through advanced SCADA and IIoT solutions.
Read more...
Loop signature Part 2-5: Interactive control systems
Michael Brown Control Engineering
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Feedforward control was explained in the previous loop signature articles. One of the examples used was feedforward control of load changes on a heat exchanger when variations occurred in the flow of the process fluid through the exchanger.
Read more...
Integrated automation systems in poultry feed production
Adroit Technologies
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
South Africa’s poultry industry is increasingly turning to advanced automation systems to optimise operations. Working in partnership with Adroit Technologies, leading poultry supplier Sovereign implemented the Mitsubishi Adroit Process Suite across a key feed production facility, creating a scalable, integrated system capable of supporting both current operations and future expansion.
Read more...
printer friendly version