Feature

Ethernet cuts fieldbus costs in industrial

automation
James A. Hunt
Hove, UK

Abstract
Purpose – The aim of this paper is to provide an update on the status of current fieldbuses and high-speed Ethernet technologies for industrial automation.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides information on the various fieldbus technologies for industrial automation connectivity and
examines high-speed deterministic Ethernets for automated manufacturing and assembly plant.
Findings – The paper finds that the standards issue has still not been fully resolved, that Ethernets reduce manufacturing costs compared with
conventional fieldbuses, that most effort has gone into making Ethernets work deterministically, rather than concentrating on IT and enterprise resource
planning (ERP) integration, and that the internet will increasingly feed real-time data to ERP levels.
Originality/value – The paper provides information on recent developments in Ethernet technologies.

Keywords Computer networks, Systems and control theory

Paper type General review

Introduction
Traditionally, fieldbus industrial networking technology has been
used to communicate between industrial automation
(manufacturing) cells and their control systems. Recent
developments in Ethernet-based communications technology
have realised the double benefit of cost reduction in fieldbus level
communication, and greater ease in passing manufacturing
process data back up to enterprise level. This paper looks at some
of these technologies, following a short fieldbus introduction.
Fieldbus, the digital, two-way, multi-drop communication link
among intelligent measurement and control devices in complex
automated industrial systems, has, over the past-20 years,
become ubiquitous in all sectors that benefit from automation.
These include manufacturing cells, assembly line robotics, and
food and chemical processes. Such operations depend on reliable
industrial communication to work efficiently, and fieldbus
systems have been crucial to success (Figure 1).
Fieldbuses started out as simple cable replacements nearly
two decades ago, most of them proprietary rather than
“open,” the latter being able to accept data signals from
devices made by many different companies. Fieldbuses have
now developed into automation systems with functions and
applications far beyond mere cable replacement.
Fieldbus networks link field instruments and other
equipment together using digital communication protocols
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0144-5154.htm
Assembly Automation
28/1 (2008) 18– 26
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0144-5154]
[DOI 10.1108/01445150810848975]
over a two-wire system (Figure 2). Access requires strict rules
(protocol) to let information flow from producer to consumer.
Process signal and other information is passed between
control system and the field devices (Figures 3 and 4) over
various levels. At the lowest level, instruments, sensors,
actuators, drives, and servos communicate with a controller.
The field level is where more intelligent field devices, remote
I/O-stations, operator panels, and small controllers
communicate each other. Next comes the cell level where
automation stations, operator stations and PCs communicate.
On top of all these is communication to management level for
ordering, quality statistics, and reports, etc. for enterprise
resource planning (ERP).
There are many advantages of using fieldbus systems in an
automated assembly environment. These include:
.
cheaper to install, as much less cable needed (wire-pairs,
though AS-Interface needs only a single, serially-
connected cable);
.
faster to install; easier to configure; commission and
maintain;
.
more design and plant layout freedom; less need for
control cabinets;
.
easy device configuration/re-configuration/diagnostics/
troubleshooting;
.
extra measurements provided by devices;
.
better control system performance;
.
direct integration of fail-safe components possible; and
.
operational cost savings.
However, fieldbus systems are more expensive and complex
than traditional systems, so better training is required,
The author thanks The Industrial Ethernet Book for help in the preparation
of certain aspects of this paper.

18
 Ethernet cuts fieldbus costs in industrial automation Assembly Automation
James A. Hunt Volume 28 · Number 1 · 2008 · 18 –26

Figure 1 Assembly automation today needs both fieldbus and Ethernet connectivity to fully realise potential cost savings and full integration with ERP

Figure 2 This schematic (by ABB – www.abb.com) shows a typical industrial automation system layout, using Modbus and Profibus connectivity

Supplied by ABB PAS

800×A Large Screen Workplace

PETI Maximo
Smartplant 800×A Maximo Server
Server Workplaces

System800×A
800×A Servers

AC800M HI AC800M
Modbus
Profibus

Safety Automation
FO Modulebus

MNS iS
Oxygen Analyzer ACS800 Drive

Process Low Voltage Drives Instruments

Analytics Switchgear

especially as testing needs more complex instrumentation.
Also, there may be problems with electomagnetic interference
over long cable runs, plus possible standards incompatibility.
Fieldbus technologies suitable for industrial automation
include INTERBUS, WorldFIP, CANopen, CompoNet,
Device Net, PROFIBUS, and Foundation Fieldbus (FF).
HART is more of a process industry fieldbus. What
differentiates these fieldbuses are differences in cable lengths
and requirements, noise immunity, topology, transmission
speed, protocol, and the number of interconnecting levels.

19
 Ethernet cuts fieldbus costs in industrial automation
James A. Hunt
Figure 3 A Rockwell Automation (Allen Bradley) industrial automation
device – Ethernet/IP compatible
Figure 4 An intelligent motion systems (IMS) MDrivePlus servomotor
and driver can act as just another “intelligent” node on a fieldbus
system
Change and industrial Ethernet
Originally, factory automation managers and device
manufacturers were mainly involved with communication
within the various automation process levels (fieldbuses).
Recently, however, field devices have far more local
intelligence, and automated manufacturing equipment has
to communicate ever-larger amounts of data at high speed.
Further, the trend is towards integration of all aspects of
20
Assembly Automation
Volume 28 · Number 1 · 2008 · 18 –26
automated manufacturing with ERP. Machine control, such
as distributed control systems (DCS) and PLCs, etc. may
now be expected to integrate with production planning
(quality management, traceability, maintenance systems and
raw material handling and warehousing), so that everything
from instruments and sensors is integrated “transparently” to
the organisation’s management. Receipt of data from any
remote plants to local operator stations must also be included.
Such methods save much money, whilst increasing
production rates and improving product quality, but faster
and more reliable communications systems are crucial to
success.
Increasingly, therefore, Industrial Ethernet has been
developed for upper layer communication (Figure 5), using
fieldbus protocol(s) as the application-layer, with the Ethernet
being the link-layer protocol. Ethernet benefits include:
.
relatively easy vertical integration of field communications
with manufacturing execution systems (MES) and ERP;
.
greater interoperability with existing fieldbuses;
.
faster RT communication (speed is up to typically 1 Gbit/s
using IEEE802[1] over Cat 5e/Cat 6 data cables or optical
fibre);
.
usually, better synchronisation for highly deterministic
motion control;
.
bigger distance; more intelligent devices; greater
bandwidth;
.
can use standard access points, routers, switches, hubs,
cables and optical fibre equipment, so is significantly
cheaper than fieldbuses;
.
the same network can carry real-time (RT) and non-real
time data – so plant data collection is relatively simple;
and
.
peer-to-peer architectures may replace master-slave
varieties.
Industrial Ethernet disadvantages are the problems of
migration of existing systems to a new protocol, managing a
complete TCP/IP[2] stack is more complicated task than
simply receiving serial data, and – for RT applications, there
may be problems with TCP-using protocols.
Despite the many advantages, no single standard Industrial
Ethernet solution can meet all requirements, such as motion
control and safety, in addition to cost-efficient
communication with remote I/O. Solutions vary according
to application.
Determinism and speed
For certain operations, determinism is crucial. Determinism
in this context means that, if a message is sent for control
purposes, it must be known that it will arrive at its destination
reliably, on time every time – proper RT performance is
required. A problem with Ethernet at field level is that it
intrinsically lacks determinism. Moreover, the reaction time is
often over 100 ms – too slow for many applications. For
example, remote I/O requires reaction times of about 5-10 ms,
yet motion control applications demand microsecond cycle
times. How is this resolved?
Various organisations have devised new ways of achieving
determinism. Disadvantages include contravening established
global standards, and demanding dependence on proprietary
ASICs. Also, such technologies are no longer standard
Ethernets. Even so, they are important and include:
 Ethernet cuts fieldbus costs in industrial automation Assembly Automation
James A. Hunt Volume 28 · Number 1 · 2008 · 18 –26

Figure 5 Showing the various fieldbus and Ethernet layers involved in an industrial automation environment running DeviceNet, ControlNet,
CompoNet and EtherNet/IP

CIP MotionTM Motor Control Transducer I/O Other Semiconductor CIP SafetyTM
Profiles Profiles Profiles Profiles Profiles Profiles Profiles

Common Industrial Protocol (CIPTM)

Object Library Safety
(Communications, Applications, Time Synchronization) Object Library

Data Management Services Safety Services

Explicit and I/O Messages and Messages

Connection Management, Routing

TCP/UDP
CompoNet ControlNet DeviceNet
Network and Transport Network and Transport Network and Transport

Network Adaptations of CIP

Internet Protocol

Ethernet CompoNet ControlNet CAN

CSMA/CD Time Slot CTDMA CSMA/NBA

Ethernet CompoNet ControlNet DeviceNet

Physical Layer Physical Layer Physical Layer Physical Layer

Ethernet/IPTM CompoNetTM ControlNetTM DeviceNet TM

.
closed Ethernet segment with DLL-layer protocol;
.
embedded fieldbus (application level fieldbus protocol on
standard TCP/IP);
. RT on TCP/IP;
.
application protocol on TCP/IP, direct MAC-addressing;
and
.
Ethernet physics, plus integral electronics and special
addressing/protocol.
Industrial Ethernet solutions
There are a number of Industrial Ethernet solutions available
today. Some are shown in Table I, together with suitable
network types and relevant standards (and serial equivalent).
.
Typically, they share Ethernet and TCP/IP foundations but
vary in terms of network topologies supported, non-real time
data handling capabilities, update times, and hardware and
software function division. Also, while some use standard
Ethernet, they may not comply with TCP/UDP/IP.
The most common available solutions include the following
(in alphabetical order):
.
Control & Communication Link (CC-link). This (Figure 6),
developed by Mitsubishi Electric, is a high-speed field
network system suitable for integrated factory and process
automation. An Ethernet version was launched in Japan
(UK in 2008) around press day for this publication.
CC-Link (www.cc-link.org) provides communication
speeds up to 10 Mbp with fast and reliable response
times. It is said to be deterministic. The maximum
cable length is 1.2 km (at 156 kbps); further with
repeaters. CC-Link Safety is suitable for use with safety
relays, switches and mats, and light curtains. CC-Link/LT
has been developed specifically for low-density widespread
I/O networks. CC-link is one of the world’s biggest
fieldbuses, and is the de facto standard in Asia:
EtherCAT. Originally developed by Beckhoff but now an
IEC standard, this (to IEC/PAS 62407) features high-
precision device synchronisation, a safety protocol (SIL3)
and a cable redundancy option. Possibly the fastest system,
it can service 1,000 digital I/O over 100 nodes in 30 ms
(or 100 servo axes in 100 ms). Synchronisation is , 1 ms;
Jitter , 1 ms, and cycle times are 30 ms RT, but bandwidth
for TCP/IP is only about 1 percent. This high-performance
derives from slave devices reading data addressed to them
while the frame passes through the node. Input data is

21
 Ethernet cuts fieldbus costs in industrial automation Assembly Automation
James A. Hunt Volume 28 · Number 1 · 2008 · 18 –26

Table I Some of the best-known Ethernet fieldbus protocols

Serial connection Ethernet Protocol used Type of network Related standards
Modbus-RTU Modbus-TCP TCP/IP IEC 61158/IEC 61784
DeviceNet (CIP) and Ethernet/IP (CIP) TCP/IP; UDP/IP Switches, router or wireless, IEC 61158/IEC 61784/also ODVA
ControlNet (CIP) (100 Mbit/s – 1 Gbit/s) Ethernet/IP
Profibus PROFINET I/O IRT protocol, RT protocol, As above IEC 61158/IEC 61784
RT over UDPa protocol (RTU)
Foundation Fieldbus (FF) H1 FF – high speed Only Ethernet
Ethernet (HSE)
CANopen Ethernet Powerlink Ethernet 100 Mbit/s Ethernet Powerlink Standardisation
Group (EPSG)
CANopen EtherCAT EtherCAT, EtherCAT/UDP As above IEC 61158/IEC/PAS 62407/IEC
61784 – 3/ISO 15745 – 4
VARAN VARAN, TCP/IP As above VARAN-Bus User Group (VNO)
FL-Net (OPCN-2) UDP/IP Ethernet 10 Mbit/s From Japan Electrical Manufacturers’
Association (JEMA)
SERCOS I & II SERCOS III Ethernet 100 Mbit/s
a
Note: User Datagram Protocol (UDP) – a core protocol from the internet protocol suite in which programs on networked controllers can exchange short
messages (datagrams)

Figure 6 CC-Link, developed by Mitsubishi Electric, is a high-speed enterprise connectivity. Rockwell Automation claims that
field network system suitable for integrated factory and process only EtherNet/IP meets all standards, by using unmodified
automation Ethernet 802.3 and TCP/IP/UDP/IP. Its application layer
CIP protocol is the same as used by DeviceNet and
ControlNet (Figures 5 and 7).
.
Ethernet Powerlink (EPL). Originally developed by
Bernecker þ Rainer (www.br-automation.com), this
uses the closed segment/time slot method. Recent
versions have reached 100 ms cycle time with Jitter below
1 ms. For RT applications, the cycle time is around 0.2 ms
with eight axes. This solution therefore meets the highest
hard RT and determinism requirements of motion control
and I/O with integrated CANopen. A safety protocol, EPL
Safety, may be available now. EPL, by the EPL
Standardisation Group (www.ethernet-powerlink.org), is
“open,” with over 60,000 installed nodes.
.
FL-net (OPCN-2). Developed by Japan Electrical
Manufacturers Association – JEMA (www.jema-net.or.
jp), this is a controller level network complemented by
the device-level network OPCN-1. FL-net provides

inserted while the telegram passes through – frames are

Figure 7 Showing a typical network layer infrastructure
delayed by nanoseconds. The applications are primarily
motion control, encoders, I/O, etc. EtherCAT Technology
Group – ETG (www.ethercat.org) provides support. Application
Device Profiles & Common
.
EtherNet/IP. Possibly the most proven industrial Ethernet
Application Objects Industrial
solution available for automated manufacturing, this
Network Layer Infrastructure

Presentation Protocol (CIP)

implements the CIP[3] protocol at its upper layers. Based
Explicit Implicit (IEC 61158)
on conventional TCP/IP, with UDP/IP as an object Session Messaging Messaging
embedding protocol, it follows the OSI[4] model, and
implements CIP at the “session” layer (and above),
adapting CIP to the specific EtherNet/IP technology at the Transport TCP/UDP
“transport” layer (and below). The non-deterministic TCP/IP Suite
reaction time is around 10 ms, cyclic communication is Network Internet Protocol (IP)
10-100 ms RT, synchronisation about 10 ms, and TCP/IP
Data Link Ethernet
bandwidth is 90-100 percent. EtherNet/IP (www.odva.org)
IEEE Standards
is suitable for use with controllers, I/O, HMI, VS drives, bar
Physical Peer-to-peer, multicast, unicast
code readers, pneumatic/hydraulic valves, safety equipment
and motion control networking, while enabling internet and

22
 Ethernet cuts fieldbus costs in industrial automation
James A. Hunt
intercommunication between PLC, CNC, or robot
controllers. Based on standard Ethernet technology, FL-
net uses the FA link protocol, which provides good RT
capabilities on top of UDP/IP. An FL-net (OPCN-2) unit
is implemented in an FA controller and transmits and
receives data cyclically among controllers by assigning a
node number and common memory (link register) for
linking, as with the CPU link unit of a conventional PLC.
.
High Speed Ethernet (HSE). This, defined by the Fieldbus
Foundation (www.fieldbus.org), connects FF-networks
via gateways to Ethernet. It typically allows a DCS to omit
the FF-interface and use only Ethernet as the
communication network. It works by embedding a
fieldbus protocol in an Ethernet message, but there is no
RT capability. HSE is ideal for use as a control backbone.
Running at 100 Mbit/s, the technology is designed for
device, subsystem and enterprise integration and supports
all fieldbus capabilities. HSE is, therefore, essentially, the
link device to connect FF networks.
. Modbus/TCP. Developed by Schneider Electric and with
RT extension RTPS[5], this is based on the conventional
TCP/IP embedding Modbus, using a request/reply model.
It enables Ethernet connection and provides a simple
protocol for I/O. However, Modbus/TCP is non-
deterministic and the reaction times are only around
20 ms. If RT with RTPS is used in conjunction,
performance is improved – though not yet to RT
standards. Cyclic communication is 20-100 ms and the
TCP/IP bandwidth is 90-100 percent. The main
advantages are that migration to Ethernet is simple, and
it is widely used. Support is through the Modbus-IDA
user group (www.modbus.org).
.
P-Net. This (www.p-net.org) is a way of migrating P-Net on
Ethernet in similar fashion to HSE. It provides measurement
values, status data, the bi-directional exchange of limit values,
actuator positioning, feedback and fault signals, and internal
system data. The RS485-based P-Net uses a shielded twisted
pair cable (cable length to 1,200 m). Up to 125 devices/bus
segment can be connected without repeaters. P-Net can
handle up to 300 confirmed data transactions/s, from 300
independent addresses, and up to 9,600 binary signals/s can
be accessed from anywhere in the system. P-Net is a low-cost
solution for small systems, but is also suitable for large plants.
.
PROFINET. Defined by IEC 61158, IEC 61784 and
PROFIBUS International (www.profibus.com), this uses
conventional TCP/IP for most functions. In RT, the cycle
times are from 250 ms with 30 axis and 50 percent TCP/
IP, or 150 axis in 1 ms. Synchronisation is less than 1 ms
and the bandwidth for TCP/IP is 50-100 percent.
PROFINET IO, for automation systems, uses three
different communication channels for data transfer
(standard TCP/IP, RT, and isochronous real time (IRT)
– a high-speed channel typically used for motion control
applications in assembly automation). Applications
include safety protocol and MES-functions. PROFIBUS
International has over 1,200 members.
.
Serial realtime communications system (SERCOS). This, an
international standard, is designed for high-speed serial
communication of standardised closed-loop RT data over
a fibre optic ring (SERCOS I and II) or Industrial
Ethernet cable (SERCOS III). SERCOS III places the
standard Ethernet TCP/IP under the control of the
motion bus, using Ethernet hardware with lower cost
23
Assembly Automation
Volume 28 · Number 1 · 2008 · 18 –26
twisted-pair copper cable, but Ethernet fibre optics will be
supported. RT cycle times are from 31.25 ms (eight axes)
at 0 percent TCP/IP, or 150 axes in 1 ms with 50 percent
TCP/IP. Synchronisation is less than 1 ms, with TCP/IP
bandwidth to 50 percent. Applications lie in multi-axis
motion control, servomotorsVS drives, PLC interfaces,
electrohydraulics, positioning systems and I/O, etc.
Support is through Intressengemeinschaft SERCOS
Interface e. V. (www.sercos.de).
.
SynqNet. This provides synchronous RT connection (and
diagnostics) between motion controllers, servo drives,
stepper drives, I/O modules and custom devices. Built on
the 100 BT physical layer, SynqNet (www.synqnet.org)
features in-built electronics in every device, and uses
Ethernet physics running an “alien protocol.” It provides
network bandwidth for servo updates up to 48 kHz,
supports up to 32 nodes with 32 axes and can handle over
16,000 bits of digital I/O and 1,000 points of analog I/O.
RT cycle times are from 25 ms with four axes, with
synchronisation better than 1 ms. The ring topology
provides “self-healing” fault tolerant operation.
.
TC-netTM 100. A Toshiba (www3.toshiba.co.jp)
developed information and control network, this
provides message transmission using TCP/IP and UDP/
IP. Based on star topology, TC-netTM 100 allows high-
speed, RT transmission between supervisory units,
computers and controllers via information and control
LANs, and can also be extended to the internet and/or
intranets. TC-netTM 100 is based on the communication
technology of the TCnet, a RT Ethernet under
standardisation in the IEC/TC65/SC65C working group.
.
Versatile Automatic Random Access Network (VARAN). This
uses a different approach to obtaining RT operation over
Ethernet. It obviates use of the IEEE1588 clock sync
protocol, employing opcodes and data words to address
end nodes. Triggered in hardware, it is claimed to be “the
perfect solution in machine and assembly automation.”
VARAN derives from the Sigmatek DIAS manager-client
fieldbus protocol delivering 2.5 m I/O node updates/s at a
data transfer rate of 11 MBaud. A 16-bit measurement
value, 16 I/Os, respectively, requires just 2 ms, including
confirmation. VARAN advantages include guaranteed
hard RT, automatic addressing, no network
administration costs, high reliability and a hot plug-in
capability. The VARAN Bus User Organisation –
VNO(www.varan-bus.net) looks after standardisation.
.
Vnet/IP. This is compatible with Vnet and uses the IP
internet protocol for general-purpose communications.
Introduced by Yokogawa (www.yokogawa.com/uk) in
2004 for “the production control systems of the future,”
Vnet/IP is a 1-Gbps control network protocol. It operates
using HTTP on conventional TCP/IP with an extension –
RT and Reliable Datagram Protocol (RTP). Vnet/IP also
features in-built redundancy. Response times are
equivalent to those of Vnet, but throughput is ten times
greater. Time synchronisation is accurate to 1 ms; reaction
times are 10 ms. The IEC is considering Vnet/IP as an
industrial standard, but there seems to be no supporting
group.
In addition, there is the Chinese developed Ethernet for Plant
Automation (EPA), plus Foundation H1, but both are
 Ethernet cuts fieldbus costs in industrial automation
James A. Hunt
primarily designed for process plant operation, so they are
unlikely to be suitable for assembly automation.
An application
Flip-chip manufacturing solutions, including equipment,
processes, materials and services for semiconductor
manufacturers are supplied by a large equipment
manufacturer. This company’s flip-chip bonding machine
can manufacture at rates of up to 8000 units/hr. Less than
every half second, a die is picked from a wafer and flipped,
before going through various processes and being placed
onto a carrier (accuracy of 25 mm). Careful automation
system design integration is crucial. PC-based, this system
uses a number of servo drives (and many small servos),
hundreds of I/O, several image recognition systems and
various CANopen devices. These all work together with a
cycle time of , 0.5 ms. ETHERNET Powerlink provides
connectivity with extremely good reaction times and exact
axis synchronisation. Cameras check the positions of the
wafer and other parts, and guide the table to calculated
positions – these are networked with the controllers via
Ethernet. Windows-based, the data exchange between
controller and visualisation is part of wafer mapping; once
all wafers are processed, updated data is sent back to the
production management system.
Conclusions
The various fieldbus and Industrial Ethernet protocols all
work to varying degrees in helping to reduce assembly
automation costs and improve plant efficiency. As Mitsubishi
Electric has commented, the driving force for adoption of
these protocols, both individually and collectively, is
economic and political, because their development
coincided with globalisation. Device-level communications
are helping to reshape the world.
However, while Industrial Ethernet has a crucial essential
role to play in this, most effort has gone into making it work
deterministically, in RT, and in deciding which technology
will become an IEC standard. As a result, office, IT and ERP
integration may have suffered to some extent and the situation
overall is confusing.
A related aspect is remote monitoring and management of
automation equipment. Such equipment can be connected on
a LAN or internet using industrial device networking so that
machines and devices can be RT monitored. For web access,
networked devices need an integral web server to allow
remote access using a standard web browser. Many industrial
serial devices can be cascaded from a single network backbone
connection without expensive cabling and hubs.
This trend will continue, boosted also by wireless
technology, which further cuts cabling costs (though speed
may be compromised). Indeed, it has been announced only
this month that The Fieldbus Foundation is joining the
HART Communication Foundation and PROFIBUS
Nutzerorganisation e. V. (PNO) in launching a cooperative
initiative for wireless technology in the manufacturing (and
process) industries.
24
Assembly Automation
Volume 28 · Number 1 · 2008 · 18 –26
Notes
1 IEEE 802 – a family of IEEE standards concerned with
LANs and metropolitan area networks that carry variable-
size packets.
2 TCP/IP (or TCP/IP/UDP/IP) – The middle layers (3 and
4) of the seven-layer model form the protocol used by the
internet. Using such standard layers is critical, and they
are used by many useful application layer protocols (http
for web).
3 Common interface protocol (CIP) – This encompasses
messages/services for the collection of manufacturing
automation applications, and allows integration with
enterprise-level Ethernet networks/internet.
4 The open systems interconnection (OSI) model defines a
framework for implementing network protocols in the
physical, data link, network, transport, session,
presentation and application layers.
5 Designed to run over an unreliable transport such as
UDP/IP, RTPS stands for the “Real-Time Publish-
Subscribe” wire protocol.
Web sites:
ABB (intelligent devices, drives, etc.)
Contact: Gareth Johnston
Web site: www.abb.com
PROFIBUS PA – PROFIBUS International (fieldbus/
Ethernet organisation)
Web site: www.profibus.com
ODVA (fieldbus/Ethernet organisation)
Contact: Adrienne Meyer
Web site: www.odva.org
ETG HQ (EtherCAT) (fieldbus/Ethernet organisation)
Web site: www.ethercat.org
VARAN Bus User Organisation (fieldbus/Ethernet
organisation)
Contact: Martin Schuller
Web site: www.varan-bus.net
INTERBUS Club UK (fieldbus organisation – now Ethernet
too)
Web site: www.interbusclub.com
International P-Net User Organisation (fieldbus/Ethernet
organisation)
Web site: www.p-net.org
WorldFIP (fieldbus/Ethernet organisation)
Web site: www.worldfip.org
Ethernet Powerlink (Ethernet organisation)
Web site: www.ethernet-powerlink.org
SERCOS International e.V. (fieldbus/Ethernet organisation)
Web site: www.sercos.de
SynqNet UK (fieldbus/Ethernet organisation)
Contact: Robert Pearce
Web site: www.synqnet.org
TC-netTM 100 (Toshiba) (fieldbus/Ethernet organisation)
Web site: www3.toshiba.co.jp
 Ethernet cuts fieldbus costs in industrial automation Assembly Automation
James A. Hunt Volume 28 · Number 1 · 2008 · 18 –26

Vnet/IP (Yokogawa) (device manufacturer & fieldbus/ Link Protocol, which uses services available from the physical
Ethernet developer) layer. Therefore, this part of IEC 61158 defines the data link
Web site: www.yokogawa.com/uk service characteristics that the next higher-level protocol can
exploit.
CC-Link Partners Association C/O Mitsubishi Electric, However, the layers of the standard (apart from IEC 61158-
(device manufacturer & fieldbus/Ethernet developer) 2) were rejected by an international vote, and were published
Contact: Steve Jones instead as a technical specification (IEC TS 61158). The
Web site: www.cc-link.org approach since has been to allow other protocols to be included
FL-Net (JEMA) (device manufacturer & fieldbus/Ethernet as “profiles” in a similar manner to EN50170 (multi-protocol
developer) European standard). This, however, meant that eight
Web site: www.jema-net.or.jp incompatible technologies were included. These are:
ControlNet, PROFIBUS, TS 61158, P-Net, Interbus FF
Foundation Fieldbus (fieldbus/Ethernet organisation) high-speed Ethernet, Swiftnet and WorldFIP. Such “Types”
Web site: www.fieldbus.org (or protocol sets) now also include FF H1, FF High Speed
Modbus IDA (fieldbus/Ethernet organisation) Ethernet (HSE), PROFINET 10 and EtherCAT. The
Web site: www.modbus.org standards issue is an area of continuing uncertainty.

Choosing a fieldbus for an AC variable speed drive

Appendix. Standards
Although the first fieldbus was introduced in the late 1980s, it
has taken much of that time to obtain agreement on a fieldbus
standard. This is because there were, and still are, a number
of competing fieldbus systems. This is partly because a
fieldbus system controlling automated manufacturing is
functionally different to that of a process plant control system.
In 2000, various interested parties – such as manufacturers
of fieldbus system hardware - together created the IEC fieldbus
standard, IEC 61158. As a result, the Physical Layer of IEC
61158 (IEC 61158-2) has been an international standard for
some years, and has been widely used by PROFIBUS PA,
Foundation Fieldbus FF and WorldFIP, among others.
IEC 61158-3 is one of a series intended to ease
interconnection of automation devices. It is related to other
standards in the set as defined by the three-layer fieldbus
reference model, based in part on the basic reference model for
open systems interconnection. Both reference models
subdivide interconnection standardisation into specification
layers. For example, the data link service is provided by the Data
AC drives are always slaves. The method of communication
from master to slaves varies according to the protocol selected,
e.g. polling, cyclic, point-to-point, strobe, query, and answer.
Each communication link will also have a transmission speed
(Baud rate), in either Hz or bits/s, and the master device usually
determines this.
With AC drives, the aim is to define functional profiles,
within the protocol, which describe how AC drives will react
on (PROFIBUS) and what minimum informationwill be
transferred to and from the master. All open fieldbus
organisations define these requirements.
To choose the right fieldbus for a drives application, it is
important to ensure that the chosen device can accept
multi-vendor products, but users should consider topology,
access, physical features, protocol, access rights in
multimaster systems, noise immunity, and transmission
speed. Other consideration needs to be given to the
technical, communication system safety and technology
requirements. Drives manufacturers, such as ABB (www.
abb.com), can help with specific selection (see Table AI).

Table AI A checklist to consider when coosing a fieldbus system

Technical Description
Number of nodes This is the number of devices connected to the field bus or bus segment. This varies from a maximum
of 64 nodes with DeviceNet to 247 nodes with Modbus. If, for example, you have an application with
100 drives and want to control from DeviceNet then you will need two DeviceNet scanners
Transmission speed Also referred to as Baud rate. The higher the transmission speed the shorter the bus length. The
maximum bus segment cable length is defined in the fieldbus standard, such as DeviceNet, Profibus,
etc. for the supported Baud rates
Extent of user data The extent of user data can be limited, depending on either hardware (ASICs, defined by node
manufacturer) or software (protocol, defined by the fieldbus standard). This is usually defined in the
fieldbus node User Manual
Topology The topology usually comes with rules defining how the nodes are connected to one another. The
topolgy also defines bus termination rules. This is defined by the fieldbus standard and can be bus,
ring, star topology, etc.
Modularity, expansion possibilities Because there is a single cable, the system can be easily constructed in a modular way. This allows the
system to be easily expanded later. Machine manufacturers can build their systems based on a
modular concept (flexibility)
Noise immunity Due to reduced amount of cabling there is much less chance to pick up disturbances. Digital
technology means drift is eliminated
(continued)

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Table AI
Technical Description
Cable requirements These are defined by the fieldbus standard. Each fieldbus type has its own cable requirements, for
example, cross-sectional area, impedance, stray capacitance, etc.
Connection cost Connecting a single cable is much easier than connecting a variety of analogue signal cables. The
method of connection is usually standardised
Device replacement without bus interruption In daisy-chain bus topology, the bus cable can be removed from the device without interrupting the
bus communication. With point-to-point or ring connection, bus communication will always be lost
Requirements of the application Type of fieldbus is selected according to the response time required by the application and/or the
amount of nodes to be connected to the system
Communication
Required data transfer capacity Usually the amount of I/O data to be exchanged via the bus
Guaranteed response time Depending on the bus cycle time, determined by the amount of connected nodes, selected
transmission speed and extent of data frame
System safety
System safety in a fault situation Usually the standard fieldbus topology is not redundant but can be made so in many cases. In none
redundant bus systems, the action in case of a communication loss can be configured within the
nodes, for example fault or remain in operation, etc.
Safety of data transfer (error recognition) The safety of the data transfer differs from fieldbus to fieldbus and is defined within the fieldbus
protocol
Special attention towards power supply solutions Some fieldbus systems supply the nodes via the fieldbus cable (DeviceNet) and others require an
external power supply (Profibus) to feed the nodes
Readiness of diagnostic tools For the open fieldbus standards a large variety of diagnostic tools from several manufacturers are
available
Source: Courtesy ABB

Corresponding author
James A. Hunt can be contacted at: james.hunt11@
btopenworld.com

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