EEET2105

Industrial Automation

Introduction to Fieldbus
Technology
Dr. Alan Wong
alan.wong@rmit.edu.au
EEET2105

PLC

Profibus™

Foundation Fieldbus™

Industrial Data Communication

Fieldbus technology is
• LAN for instruments in process, manufacturing
and building automation industries.
• Digital network in the base level of the hierarchy
of a plant
• More than one standards available for
communication between the field instruments,
master controllers and existing computer
networks.
Connecting Shop Floor to Computer
Network System

Departmental Computer
System

Plant Wide
Network

Automation and
Control System/ Display System
LAN

Field Devices and

Fieldbus Network Instrumentations
Example of Fieldbus System:
Profibus

ET 200S

S7 –
300S
Automation Network using Foundation
Fieldbus
Automation Network using Profibus
History of Fieldbus

• Digital communication in process and control

industry started in the 80’s.
• Purpose :- to replace existing 4-20mA technology.
• Many different protocols were created by vendors
with the purpose of monopolising the automation
market.
• Problem arises due to this phenomenon and leads
to non-interoperability between devices produced by
different vendor.
• Worse still, the documentations on the operation of
these protocols are not available to the public.
History (cont.) - Disadvantages

• Since there were only limited range of product from one

vendor, it was common to mix and match equipment for
one project because one vendor is never best at
everything.
• However, each vendor has different protocol for their
products and caused plants to have isolated islands of
automation system that could not communication with each
other.
• Example: DCS and PLC. These two devices are not
sharing information due to incompatibility and therefore
building a larger and more efficient network is almost
impossible!
History(cont.) - Solution

• Temporary Solution :- Third Party device driver.

• However, each driver solves the problem for one

combination of hardware and software.

• In many cases, the subsystem has to fall back on

conventional analog system.
History(cont.)
• Another problem with a proprietary system had been
the locked-in by manufacturers.
• Low set-up cost and extremely high replacement
cost
• Furthermore, due to incompatibility, vendors were
unable to compete with other suppliers.
Incorporating several protocols in one device would
also drive the cost of the product up.

• Up to the present moment, there is no one fieldbus

standard to which all manufactures of automation
and control devices conform to.
Direct Digital Control System

Computer Terminal

Control Room

Field Devices

Direct Digital Control (DDC) System

Distributed Control System

Computer Terminal

Controller Controller Controller

Controlle Controlle Controlle
r r r
Control Room

Field

Field Devices

Distributed Control System (DCS)

Fieldbus System

Computer Terminal
Distributed Control System (DCS)

Control Room

Field

Fieldbus Devices

Fieldbus System
Fieldbus Technology

1. Digital replacement of 4-20mA

2. Control, alarm, trend, and other functions
distribution to field devices
3. Interoperability and Multiple-Vendor System
4. Openness, where specifications available
without licensing agreement.
Benefits of Fieldbus
Technology
Benefits - More information

Controller Controller

I/O Subsystem

Valves Drives

Valves Drives

Traditional 4-20mA Fieldbus

one variable, one direction Multiple variables, bi-direction

More than one variables can be sent to the master controller

 Benefits – Less Wiring

Controller
Controller

IS
I/O Subsystem

Valves Drives
IS IS

Valves Drives

Traditional 4-20mA Fieldbus

One IS Barrier and one wire for many devices
One IS barrier and one wire for each device

Fieldbus allows many devices to share a single pair of comms. cable

 Benefits – Better Diagnostic Capability

Controller Controller

I/O Subsystem

Valves Drives

Valves Drives

Traditional 4-20mA Fieldbus

View stops at I/O Subsystem View extends into instrument

More critical info. from fieldbus devices can help to reduce downtime and improve
safety
B enefits – Less System Hardware

Controller
Controller

PID

I/O Subsystem
AI

Valves Drives

Valves Drives

Fieldbus
Traditional 4-20mA

Fieldbus devices use standard “function blocks” to implement the control strategy.
AI, AO, PID may be integrated into the fieldbus devices.
Classes of Fieldbus

• Fieldbus devices and network can be

categorised into three network-oriented
classes:

• Bit (sensors)
• Byte (device)
• Message (field)
Classes of Fieldbus
Classes of Fieldbus
• Bit
• Simple operations such as on/off, high/low
• Example : proximity sensor, contact closure, push
buttons, and etc.
• Binary one and zero are used to represent the
current state of the device.
• The network of such devices is called Sensor Bus
**Example: ASI Bus
• Binary
• Message
Classes of Fieldbus
• Binary
• Binary oriented systems are used in much broader
applications such as motor starters, barcode
readers, VSD and etc.
• Larger information content, larger addressing
capability
• This network of device is known as “Device Bus”
• Example: Device Net
Classes of Fieldbus
• Message
• Message oriented systems refers to systems
containing over 16 bytes per message
• Examples: PCs, PLCs, Engineering workstation
• Capability to upload and download system
configuration.
• Example of these systems: Profibus, Foundation
Fieldbus
 The Importance of
OSI Layer in Fieldbus
Technology
OSI Reference Model
• Faced with the proliferation of closed network systems, the
Internatinal Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) defined a
“Reference Model for Communication between Open Systems” in
1978. This has become known as the OSI model (ISO7498).
• The OSI model is essentially a data communication management
structure which breaks data communication down into a
manageable hierarchy of seven layers.
• Each layer has a defined purpose and interfaces with the layers
above and below it.
• By laying down standards for each layer, it allowed the system
designers to develop protocols for each layer independent of
each other.
• The OSI reference model is not a protocol or set of rules for how
a protocol should be written, but rather an overall framework in
which to define protocols.
OSI 7 Layers
Application Layer

Presentation Layer

Session Layer

Transport Layer

Network Layer

Data Link Layer

Physical Layer
OSI 7 Layers
• Application (layer 7): the provision of network services to the
user’s application program

• Presentation (layer 6): Map the data representation into an

external data format that will enable correct interpretation of the
information on receipt

• Session (layer 5): Control of the communication between the

users. This includes the groups together of messages and the
coordination of data transfer between grouped layers.

• Transport (layer 4): The management of communication between

two end systems

• Network (layer 3): Responsible for the control of the

communications network. Functions include routing of data,
network addressing, fragmentation of large packets,
congestion and flow control.
OSI 7 Layers
• Data Link (layer 2): Responsible for sending a frame of data from
one system to another. Attempts to ensure that errors in the
receive bit stream are not passed up into the rest of the protocol
stack
• Physical (layer 1): Defined the electrical and mechanical
connections at the physical lavel or the communication channel
itself. Functional responsibilities include modulation, multiplexing,
and signal generation.
OSI Communication Channel

The OSI Layer

Transmitter Receiver

Application Layer Application Layer

Presentation Layer Presentation Layer

Session Layer Session Layer

Transport Layer Transport Layer

Network Layer Network Layer

Data Link Layer Data Link Layer

Physical Layer Physical Layer

Example: Sending Message String
“Engineers are Cool!”

Application message

Presetation AH message

Session PH AH message

Transport SH PH AH message

TH SH PH AH message
Network
NH TH SH PH AH message
Data Link
DLH NH TH SH PH AH message DLH
Physical
PhH DLH NH TH SH PH AH message DLH PhH
Fact: Fieldbus - OSI Layer

• Profibus™ uses layer 1, 2 and 7

• Foundation Fieldbus™ uses layer 1, 2 and 7

Other Protocols
• The objectives of this three lectures is to provide students with
basic knowledge on different industrial communication standards
used in industry.
• Although we only focus on two standard in this course, namely
profibus and foundation fieldbus, there are many other standards
available on the market today. These standards include:
• Devicenet
• Industrial Ethernet
• Lonworks
• CanBUS
• MODBus
• HART
• AS-I