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Fieldbus Foundation Issues Transducer Block Specification

ControlDesign.com
09/30/2011

The Fieldbus Foundation issued a Wireless and Remote I/O (WIO) preliminary specification that defines transducer blocks for interfacing wired Hart and WirelessHart devices to Foundation fieldbus. The foundation also updated the WIO System Architecture and WIO Data Structures related to the transducer block specification.

Part of the Foundation for Remote Operations Management solution implementing wireless and remote I/O, the new technical specification also describes the expected method for Hart configuration tools and asset-managing hosts to access Hart devices using the native Hart command protocol transported through the Foundation High Speed Ethernet (HSE) network. The specification also defines structures to identify and maintain Hart device status in wired multi-drop networks as well as in WirelessHart mesh networks connected to Foundation for Remote Operations Management devices.

“The new transducer block specification will benefit end users who need to be able to interface Hart and WirelessHart devices to Foundation fieldbus to improve their integration with a control system, or with Foundation devices,” said Dave Glanzer, Fieldbus Foundation’s director of technology development. “They may also require a networked method for an asset-managing host to access a large set of Hart and WirelessHart devices for Hart configuration and maintenance purposes.”