NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCES AND

TECHNOLOGY
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Industrial Process Control (EE-428)

Assignment # 2

SUBMITTED BY:
Name: Abdullah Ashfaq
Registration No: 129399
Section: BEE-8B

Date of Submission: 20th April, 2020

Part 1: Modbus

1. What is Modbus?

Modbus is a serial communication protocol originally published by Modicon in 1979 to

use with its PLCs. It has become a de facto standard communication protocol.

2. What is it used for?

Modbus is used for:

 Multiple master-slave applications to monitor and program devices

 To communicate between intelligent devices and sensors and instruments
 To monitor field devices using PCs and HMIs
 It is an ideal protocol for RTU applications where wireless communication is required.

3. How does it work?

Modbus is transmitted over serial lines between devices. The simplest setup would be a
single serial cable connecting the serial ports on two devices, a Master and a Slave.

The data is sent as series of ones and zeroes called bits. Each bit is sent as a voltage.
Zeroes are sent as positive voltages and a ones as negative. The bits are sent very quickly.
A typical transmission speed is 9600 baud (bits per second).
 4. What is difference between Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP/IP?

Modbus RTU (Remote Terminal Unit), serial (RS-232 or RS-485) protocol:

 Modbus RTU is a serial level protocol

 Modbus RTU packets are only intended to send data; they do not have the capability
to send parameters, such as point name, resolution, units, etc.

Modbus (TCP/IP) Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol:

 Modbus TCP/IP runs on an Ethernet physical layer

 Modbus TCP/IP is simply the Modbus RTU protocol with a TCP interface that runs on
Ethernet.

5. How is data stored in standarad Modbus?

Information is stored in the Slave device in four different tables.

 Each table has 9999 values.

 Each coil or contact is 1 bit and assigned a data address between 0000 and 270E.
  Each register is 1 word = 16 bits = 2 bytes and also has data address between 0000
and 270E.

Register/Coil
Data Addresses Type Table Name
Number
Discrete Output
1-9999 0000 to 270E Read-Write
Coils
Discrete Input
10001-19999 0000 to 270E Read-Only
Contacts
Analog Input
30001-39999 0000 to 270E Read-Only
Registers
Analog Output
40001-49999 0000 to 270E Read-Write
Holding Registers

Two tables store on/off discrete values (coils) and two store numerical values (registers).
The coils and registers each have a read-only table and read-write table.

Data addresses are used in messages, coil/register names are location names as they
do not appear in actual messages. For example, the first Holding Register, number 40001,
has the Data Address 0000. The difference between these two values is the offset. Each
table has a different offset. 1, 10001, 30001 and 40001.

6. What is the slave ID?

In order to identify the receiver of each request, salve ID is used. Each slave in a
network is assigned a unique unit address from 1 to 247. When the master requests data,
the first byte it sends is the Slave address. This way each slave knows after the first byte
whether or not to ignore the message.

7. What is a Modbus Map?

A modbus map is simply a list for an individual slave device that defines:

 what the data is (eg. pressure or temperature readings)

 where the data is stored (which tables and data addresses)
 how the data is stored (data types, byte and word ordering)
Some devices are built with a fixed map that is defined by the manufacturer. While other
devices allow the operator to configure or program a custom map to fit their needs.

8. Please provide few examples of Modbus application in any of Industry?

 Factories: To communicate with sensors used for monitoring furnace temperature

and pressure.
 Healthcare: For automated temperature monitoring
 Transportation: To detect traffic behavior
 Home automation: For easy transfer of data

9. What is relation between Modbus and RS485?

RS485 is a serial data transmission standard widely used in industrial implementations. The
Modbus protocol is commonly used when implementing RS485 communication.

Part 2: CAN bus

1. What is CAN bus?

The CAN Bus is an automotive bus developed by Robert Bosch, which has quickly
gained acceptance into the automotive and aerospace industries. CAN is a serial bus
protocol to connect individual systems and sensors as an alternative to conventional multi-
wire looms. It allows automotive components to communicate on a single or dual-wire
networked data bus up to 1Mbps.

2. What is it used for?

It is used to connect individual systems and sensors as an alternative to conventional

multi-wire looms. It allows automotive components to communicate on a single or dual-wire
networked data bus up to 1Mbps.
 3. How does it work?

CAN bus uses two dedicated wires for communication. The wires are called CAN high
and CAN low. When the CAN bus is in idle mode, both lines carry 2.5V. When data bits are
being transmitted, the CAN high line goes to 3.75V and the CAN low drops to 1.25V, thereby
generating a 2.5V differential between the lines. Since communication relies on a voltage
differential between the two bus lines, the CAN bus is NOT sensitive to inductive spikes,
electrical fields or other noise. This makes CAN bus a reliable choice for networked
communications on mobile equipment.

4. What is difference between the Fault Tolerance CAN and High Speed CAN?

High Speed CAN offers baud rates from 40 Kbit/s to 1 Mbit/sec, depending on cable
length. This is the most popular standard for the physical layer, since it allows for simple
cable connection between devices. This is the physical standard used in the DeviceNet and
CANopen specifications. High speed CAN networks are terminated with 120 ohm resistors
on each end of the network. 

Low Speed/Fault Tolerant CAN offers baud rates from 40 Kbit/s to 125 Kbits/sec. This
standard allows CAN bus communication to continue in case of a wiring failure on the CAN
bus lines. In low speed/fault tolerant CAN networks, each device has its own termination. 

5. Please provide few examples of CAN application in Automotive Industry?

  Parking Assist System: In reverse gear, parking assist system is activated and
side-mirrors tilt downward to show curb.
 Collision Avoidance System: The inputs from the parking sensors are also used by
the CAN bus to feed outside proximity data to driver assist systems such as Lane
Departure warning, and more recently, these signals travel through the CAN bus to
actuate brake by wire in active collision avoidance systems.
 Auto start/stop: Various sensor inputs from around the vehicle (speed sensors,
steering angle, air conditioning on/off, engine temperature) are collated via the CAN
bus to determine whether the engine can be shut down when stationary for improved
fuel economy and emissions.

Part 3: Profibus bus

1. What is Profibus?

Profibus was developed in the 1990s to archive all industrial communication needs for
both Industrial and process automation

Profibus (from process field bus) is a protocol for field bus communication in automation
technology. Profibus links automation systems and controllers with decentralized field
devices such as sensors, actuators, and encoders. Profibus networks exchange data using a
single bus cable.

2. What is it used for?

It is used for field bus communication in automation technology. Profibus links

automation systems and controllers with decentralized field devices such as sensors,
actuators, and encoders.

3. How does it work?

Profibus is also a master-slave type protocol like Modbus but with an additional token
ring protocol to allow for multiple masters. Also, unlike Modbus, all devices go through a
startup sequence during which they “join” the network. Each slave maintains a failsafe timer.
If the master does not talk to it within a certain time limit, the slave goes into a safe state; the
master must then go through the startup sequence again before further data exchange can
occur. This, in combination with a watchdog timer in the master, ensures that all
communication occurs every bus cycle with a certain time value.

The general bus scan would happen as shown in Figure 2. Master A receives the token,
which gives it control of the bus. It will then exchange data with each of its slaves, and when
complete, pass on the token to the next master (if there is one).   The requirement for
detailed diagnostics from each slave is also built into the protocol. During normal data
exchange, a slave can alert the master that it has diagnostics, which the master will then
read during the next bus scan.

(source: https://instrumentationtools.com/how-profibus-communication-works/)

4. Please provide few examples of Profibus application in any of Industry?

In process industry, Profibus can be used to automate the process by means of

communication between the controllers and sensors, actuators and encoders.

It is used to send data from detectors to controllers to indicate if there is anything Infront
of the sensor and power the actuators to move the object or perform some other action e.g.
screwing on cap of bottle.