PLC & NETWORKS

PLCS AND NETWORKS

• Networks are used to interconnect the components of
control systems with each other and the rest of the
factory. Physically, a network is a wire acting as an
“electronic highway” that can pass messages between
nodes (PCs and other electronic devices)
• Each node on the network has a unique address, and
each message-called a data packet—includes the
address of where it’s going and where it came from.
• Every message is broadcast to every door, and only one
message can be communicated at a time.*
 PLCS: Levels of a Network
• There are three
levels of networks
that are used by
industrial
organizations and
all three levels are
interconnected.

• Any node can

communicate
with any other
node in the
building. The
highest level is
Ethernet.
 Levels of a Network : Ethernet
• Ethernet is the traditional network used for interconnecting Nodes
and for exchanging data and data files; this is known as the
information level.
• Ethernet is good for communicating financial, inventory, and
production data, but it may have difficulty dealing with a real-time
process like a PLC responding quickly to a change in motor speed.
• The problem is that Ethernet is not a deterministic network. A
deterministic network is able to assign priority to a message and
guarantee that it will arrive in a given time. Ethernet may slow down
significantly in times of heavy traffic.
 Levels of a Network : Control Level
• A network at the control level provides deterministic
communication and would be used to interconnect PLCs with
other PLCs and with their supervisory computers and
programming stations (typically PCs).
• A network at the control-level may use a token system* to
guarantee that each node that needs to transmit will get an
opportunity to do so. An example of this type of network is
Control Net (Allen-Bradley).

*A token is a small data packet that is passed from node to node. There is only one token, and a node
can transmit one chunk of data only if it has the token. This system guarantees that each node gets a
turn to send data.
Levels of a Network : Device Level
• A device-level network is used to connect low-level
devices such as sensors and actuators to a PLC.
• Traditionally, individual sensors are connected
directly to the PLC
• Why a network Bus?
Levels of a Network : Device Level
1. A device network simplifies
wiring; many new cars use a
device network to connect
electrical devices (locks,
controls, and the like); this
reduces the amount of
wiring needed.

2. With a network, the sensor

data arrives in better shape.

3. Network devices tend to be

more “intelligent.”
 Device Level Communication
• A device-level network may be able to communicate in different ways,
depending on the needs of the application.
• An example of polled I/O occurs when a PLC asks (polls) a sensor for data
only when it needs it.
• In a change-of-state system, a sensor would initiate a data transfer only
when there was a change to report. For example, a switch on a furnace
door would only report when the door was actually opened.
• In a cyclic system, the sensor would send its data at a predefined rate,
such as once every 100 ms.
• In a strobe system, one message is delivered to many devices
simultaneously.
 Device Level Communication
• More equipment and procedural steps are required for setting up a
device network and getting it operational, compared with the traditional
wiring system.
• Each device must connect to the network through an interface unit
• Traditional simple devices such as limit switches, photocells, and
temperature sensors must connect to the network through a
communication module.
• The communication module enables the operator to set the address of
the device, perhaps with a thumbwheel switch.
• More sophisticated devices, such as motor drive controllers and other
“network ready” devices, have the network communication circuitry
built in.
• The PLC program may have to include instructions to send
initialization commands at start-up to those devices that need it.
• PLC must to be programmed to communicate with its devices
through the network. Examples of device level networks include
DeviceNet (Allen-Bradley), and the Fieldbus.
 The OSI model
• The Open System Interconnection (OSI) model is a
standard way to structure communication software that is
applicable to any network
– The OSI model, developed by the International
Organization for Standardization; The OSI model
reduces every design and communication problem
into a number of layers
– all communication protocols (TCP/IP, Appletalk or
DNA) can be mapped to the OSI model.
– it’s a model, not a standard protocol,
– mapping of OSI to industrial communication requires
some additions
 OSI-Model (ISO/IEC standard 7498)
All services directly called by the end user
7 Application (Mail, File Transfer,...) e.g. Telnet, SMTP

"Application" Definition and conversion of the data

protocols
6 Presentation
formats (e.g. ASN 1)

Management of connections
5 Session (e.g. ISO 8326)

End-to-end flow control and error recovery

4 Transport (e.g. TP4, TCP)

Routing, possibly segmenting

3 Network (e.g. IP, X25)
"Transport"
protocols
Error detection, Flow control and error
2 Link recovery,medium access (e.g. HDLC)

Coding, Modulation, Electrical and

1 Physical mechanical coupling (e.g. RS485)
OSI Model with two nodes
node 1 node 2

Application 7 7

Presentation 6 6

Session 5 5

Transport 4 4

Network 3 3

Link 2 2

1 1
Physical
Physical Medium
 Encapsulation
INFO Application
User information

Transport header TrpCrt Presentation

NetAdr Session
Network address
Transport
Link control LinkCrt
(Ack, Token, etc.)
Link-address LinkAdr Network

Error detection size CRC Link

Flag Flag Physical

Frame

Signal

Each layer introduces its own header and overhead

 Conclusions
• The OSI model is the reference for all industrial
communication
• Even when some layers are skipped, the
concepts are generally implemented
• Further reading: Computer Networks, Andrew
S. Tanenbaum, Chapter 1, page 27-45
 Assessment
1. Name the layers of the OSI model and describe their function

2. What are the reasons for using layered protocols?

3. What is the difference between a repeater, a bridge and a router ?

4. What is encapsulation ?

5. Do frames encapsulate packets or do packets encapsulate frames?

6. A system has an n-layer protocol hierarchy. Applications generate

messages of length M bytes. At each of the layers, an h-byte header is
added. What fraction of the network bandwidth is filled with headers?
another over the physical layer, allowing layers above it to assume virtually error-free
transmission over the link. To do this, the data link layer provides:

Link establishment and termination: establishes and terminates the logical link
between two nodes.
Frame traffic control: tells the transmitting node to "back-off" when no frame buffers
are available.
Frame sequencing: transmits/receives frames sequentially.
Frame acknowledgment: provides/expects frame acknowledgments. Detects and
recovers from errors that occur in the physical layer by retransmitting non-
acknowledged frames and handling duplicate frame receipt.
Frame delimiting: creates and recognizes frame boundaries.
Frame error checking: checks received frames for integrity.
Media access management: determines when the node "has the right" to use the
physical medium.
NETWORK LAYER
The network layer controls the operation of the subnet, deciding which physical path
the data should take based on network conditions, priority of service, and other
factors. It provides:

Routing: routes frames among networks.

Subnet traffic control: routers (network layer intermediate systems) can instruct a
sending station to "throttle back" its frame transmission when the router's buffer fills
up.
The Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model has seven layers. This article
describes and explains them, beginning with the 'lowest' in the hierarchy (the
physical) and proceeding to the 'highest' (the application). The layers are stacked
this way:Application
Presentation
Session
Transport
Network
Data Link
Physical
PHYSICAL LAYER
The physical layer, the lowest layer of the OSI model, is concerned with the
transmission and reception of the unstructured raw bit stream over a physical
medium. It describes the electrical/optical, mechanical, and functional interfaces to
the physical medium, and carries the signals for all of the higher layers. It
provides:Data encoding: modifies the simple digital signal pattern (1s and 0s) used
by the PC to better accommodate the characteristics of the physical medium, and to
aid in bit and frame synchronization. It determines:

What signal state represents a binary 1

How the receiving station knows when a "bit-time" starts
How the receiving station delimits a frame
Physical medium attachment, accommodating various possibilities in the medium: