AUSTIN, TX - The Fieldbus Foundation announced it has joined the HART Communication Foundation and Profibus Nutzerorganisation e.V. (PNO) in launching a cooperative initiative for wireless technology in the manufacturing and process industries. The new project is an extension of the organizations' successful collaboration on Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and another step to deliver consistent functionality to automation end users.
As part of the wireless initiative, the three industry organizations will develop a specification for a common interface to a wireless gateway. They have agreed to base their work on the WirelessHART technology of the HART Communication Foundation and the emerging ISA SP100.11a standard. The project will include development of use cases, requirements and specifications for wireless communication with intelligent field devices in process measurement and control applications in the automation industries.
As was done with their EDDL cooperation, the Fieldbus Foundation, HART and PROFIBUS groups have also agreed to develop a common set of compliance guidelines for incorporation into their respective product registration processes.
The introduction of wireless technology into the manufacturing and process industries will require suppliers, end users, and international standards bodies to address technical issues related to wireless applications. The Fieldbus Foundation, HART and PROFIBUS organizations are working together in the interest of establishing a common, open standard while insuring complete compatibility with the existing wired versions of each participant's technology. The intent of the collaboration is to facilitate the acceptance of wireless technology in industrial automation.
For future updates on this project, please visit the Web site.
About the Fieldbus Foundation
The Fieldbus Foundation is a global not-for-profit corporation consisting of leading process end users and automation companies. Within the Fieldbus Foundation, end users, manufacturers, universities and research organizations work together to develop an automation infrastructure that provides process integrity, business intelligence and open scalable integration in a managed environment. For more information, visit their Web site.
About the HART Communication Foundation
The HART Communication Foundation is an international, not-for-profit, membership organization supported by more than 200 companies worldwide. Founded in 1993, the Foundation is the technology owner and central authority on the HART Protocol and provides global support for application of the HART technology. The Foundation manages and controls the HART standards including new technology developments and enhancements that benefit and support the needs of the industry. HART is the leading communication technology for smart process instruments with more than 24 million devices installed worldwide.
About the Profibus Nutzerorganisation e.V.
The Profibus Nutzerorganisation e.V. (PNO) was founded in 1989 as a non-profit organization. The PNO is owner of the PROFIBUS and PROFINET technology and responsible for further developments. PROFIBUS and PROFINET International (PI) is an international umbrella organization offering regional support for PROFIBUS and PROFINET. With 25 regional organizations all over the world, 1,400 member companies and about 2,500 different products, PI is currently the world's largest interest group for industrial communication covering all key markets of industrial automation like factory automation, process automation, motion control and safety-related applications. In total, more than 20 million PROFIBUS products are currently installed worldwide.