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IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol

pastors — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:26:19 +0000

Thanks to the availability of real-time extensions and low-cost components, Ethernet is increasingly used in automation and metrology. For many automation applications, exact time synchronization of controls, sensors and actuators within a network or even between several networks is vital. One possibility for this is offered by the “Precision Clock synchronization Protocol for Networked Mea-surement and Control Systems” or „Precision Time Protocol” (PTP) for short, which is defined by the IEEE standard 1588. However, the protocol only provides the basis: maximum precision for synchronization requires support from suitable hardware. The following text describes how IEEE 1588 PTP works and what hardware-based solutions are suitable for it…

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A question of flexibility

pastors — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 07:17:09 +0000

Implementation strategies for POWERLINK

Among a large number of Ethernet-based communication systems that are suitable for automation due to their real-time capability, nowadays solutions such as PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, POWERLINK or Sercos III set the standards. Although all of the above-mentioned systems are based on Ethernet, they vary considerably in terms of their specific features and areas of application. When selecting a suitable protocol, not only criteria such as performance, availability and hardware costs play a decisive role but also the possibilities for optimum implementation.

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Implementation of Industrial Ethernet

pastors — Mon, 25 May 2009 07:53:25 +0000

By Christian Schlegel, IXXAT Automation GmbH

Today, the industrial automation market for Ethernet-based communication is increasing in demand. As with classical field busses, several protocol standards are available for Industrial Ethernet, which have to be supported by device manufacturers. Since these different Ethernet standards vary in their hardware and software requirements, a specific protocol solution for their integration into a device is required.

Despite the efforts of IAONA to find a common solution for industrial communication over Ethernet, disparate protocols emerged that were sponsored and promoted by a number of classic field bus suppliers. Eleven concepts to achieve Ethernet relevant for industrial communication are currently standardized within IEC 61158. Similar to the so-called “field bus wars” in the eighties, in the end, some of the eleven Industrial Ethernet solutions will be accepted in the market.

Connecting CANopen and Ethernet POWERLINK

pastors — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:06:25 +0000

By Christian Schlegel, IXXAT Automation

One solution circumventing the limitations of CANopen (limited bandwidth, limited system extension) would be switching completely to Ethernet POWERLINK. However, for many systems this would be like the tail wagging the dog since the POWERLINK technology is more expensive than the CANopen technology (e.g. cabling costs, hardware costs, system integration costs). Instead of converting a system completely from CANopen to POWERLINK, it often makes sense to build a new system structure using several subsystems. The following two system architectures are possible…

CANopen in X-Ray Systems

pastors — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:50:17 +0000

By Dr. Martin Merkel, Christian Schlegel, IXXAT Automation GmbH

Already in the early days of CAN, Philips Medical Systems noticed the advantages of CAN and decided to use this network protocol as communication network for interconnecting various components such as collimators, generators, and patient tables in their x-ray systems. To achieve a modular and open approach, a group within Philips Medical Systems, managed by Tom Suters, developed the first higher layer protocol for CAN, the CAN Message Specification – CMS, which was presented to the public in 1992.
CMS provided the framework for the first official CAN based communication protocol specified by CAN in Automation, the CAN Application Layer (CAL). One of the reasons that may have lead to the limited market penetration was that CAL did not provide the functionality necessary for a straight-forward description of generic device or application profiles…

FlexRay Specialist Article

admin — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:38:38 +0000

Integration of FlexRay-based control units in existing test benches by using a FlexRay/CAN gateway

Today, measuring and control technology in vehicle test benches is connected to the control units via CAN interfaces.

With the increasingly use of FlexRay, the BMW Group has developed and successfully implemented a universal concept for integrating FlexRay into existing test benches. This new concept enables FlexRay users and developers to build upon their existing platforms instead of replacing them.

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