Driving data around the factory

Abstract

Industrial applications are becoming more and more complex as end users continue to demand from them more features, connectivity, automation and ease of use. The primary source of this increased complexity is the need for greater communication, both between industrial devices and between them and other factory and office equipment. Several different methods are used to allow connectivity between industrial devices and the world around them. The variety of protocols in use, many of which are proprietary technologies, means that interoperability between industrial products from different vendors has been very difficult to achieve. While there is still no clear standardisation, the growing adoption of CAN and Ethernet technologies make these of particular importance in the evolution of communication methods for industrial applications. Industrial control and automation equipment is using Ethernet to integrate with back-office and front-office systems, resulting in greater efficiency and productivity, as well as lower operating costs. At the same time, CAN is being used for industrial networks that require hard real-time and deterministic behaviour. However, in both types of industrial networks, there is still much work to be done in terms of reducing redundancy among competing industry standards.