Versatility, easy configuration, integrated redundancy options and a communication based on open standards are among the benefits offered by the new range of PROFINET-IO products from Omron.
Providing users with a straightforward and reliable way of using industrial Ethernet, PROFINET-IO combines the ease of use of the well-established PROFIBUS-DP fieldbus system with the cost effectiveness and high performance capability of the standard Ethernet physical layer.
The products have been designed to give dependable realtime operation, even with shared infrastructure. The fast cyclic I/O data bypasses the conventional TCP/IP layers, and priority flags in the Ethernet frame ensuring that I/O messages can jump queues in network switches.
A major benefit is that the SmartSlice remote I/O stations incorporate integral Ethernet switches. This makes it possible to interconnect them as in a conventional linear fieldbus topology without additional hardware switches, resulting in cost saving and reduced wiring requirements.
As a basis for the software tools, Omron uses its established field device technology (FDT) network-independent framework. This framework works in conjunction with device type manager (DTM) plug-ins produced by field device vendors to characterise the functions of their devices. Conventional text-based GSD (ML) files are also supported for the set up of third-party devices.
Where GSD (ML) files provide only basic device settings, DTMs present the user an optimised GUI for each device, irrespective of the type of network in use. Stepping into the world of PROFINET-IO is now easier than ever.
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