1.3 Introduction: Aims

In order to maintain the continuity and operational reliability of process control technology, it is necessary to fully integrate fieldbus devices as a sub-component of process automation. The process control systems must provide the communication path from a central engineering- or operator-workplace via the system and fieldbusses to the individual field devices.

The main aims here are:

• Central workplace for planning, diagnostics and service with direct access to all field devices
• Integrated, consistent configuration and documentation of the process control system, the fieldbusses and devices
• Organization of common data for the process control system and the field devices
• Central data management and data security
• Simple, fast integration of different device types into the process control system

The integration of the field device technology into the engineering systems of process control technology is not only to be limited to a small, generally valid set of configuration, service and diagnostic functions - that would mean integration of the PROFILE definitions as a basic definition for field devices. Instead, the integration is to result in the individual device properties, characteristics and special features of the different device types being supported. The planning and service tools provided by the device manufacturer are to be integrated as device-specific software components into the engineering system. The device manufacturer defines the configuration, service and diagnostic functions for his devices himself and also designs the appearance of his devices in the engineering environment of the process control system.

It must then be possible for these components to be integrated into the engineering systems of all control technology suppliers. This reduces the costs for the device manufacturer, as he only needs to offer one standardized software component with all configuration, service and diagnostic functions for an intelligent field device. The frequent project-specific or control system-specific adaptations, which have to be developed and maintained over and over for one device type, are to be eliminated as a result of a standardized component technology.

The control system manufacturer has to implement the defined interfaces for the integration of all fieldbus devices only once. Manufacturer-specific and/or device-specific implementations and their maintenance are eliminated.

Figure 2: The potential of the field bus technology cannot be used until the field bus has been homogeneously integrated into the engineering systems.