Search results

Discusses the main concepts of fieldbuses, describes various standards that have been adopted and analyses their various merits. Provides contact details for the different standards.

One of the main benefits of the fieldbus technology is its significant reduction in wiring. This is because each process requires only one wire to be run to the main cable. Installation costs are further reduced because the fieldbus is a multi‐drop rather than a point‐to‐point system. (The multi‐drop network can offer a 5:1 reduction in field wiring expense.) A number of pneumatics manufacturers have already developed devices for various programmable logic controller (PLC) fieldbus protocols, in the form of control blocks mounted directly on to standard pneumatic valve manifolds. The next generation of modular valve manifolds has emerged too. These do not need wiring, because they are based on a virtually “plug‐and‐play” design and installation method. This means that with this modular design one simply selects the valve configuration needed for the process, plugs the modules together, and the manifold is ready to connect into a fieldbus network.

Outlines the development of the German fieldbus standard, Profibus, which has become internationally accepted. Describes its technical specification and the international standards on which it has been based. Looks at the availability of conformant products and PLC interfaces. Examines the use of Profibus for communication between drives, sensors and actuators and its various applications. Concludes with a discussion of the possibility of Profibus becoming more widely used in the UK and the future development of the Profibus standard as the market for Fieldbus applications begins to grow.