The HART Communication Foundation announced support for the latest enhancements to Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) incorporated in the second edition of the IEC 61804-3 standard. EDDL is the key industry standard for integrating real-time diagnostic and asset management information from millions of intelligent field devices for optimum data and device interoperability with automation systems.
“The latest improvements to the EDDL standard benefit users throughout the process automation industry,” says Ron Helson, executive director of the HART Communication Foundation. “Devices continue to get more sophisticated and EDDL makes them easier to use, transforming data into information so users can take full advantage of intelligent instrumentation.”
Recent improvements to the EDDL standard enhance the integration of intelligent devices with automation systems:
- Support for offline configuration with default parameter values suggested by the device manufacturer to simplify and speed device commissioning.
- Support for Unicode character sets, enabling parameter labels, diagnostics and device manufacturer expert help text to be displayed in many different languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Russian, etc.
- The ability to display all device diagnostics and setup information with rich user-friendly graphics for easier and faster completion of commissioning and maintenance tasks.
- New capabilities to support the display of illustrations based in user-preferred language, such as images with explaining text to convey know-how from the manufacturer for help in the interpretation of advanced diagnostics, guide setup and for troubleshooting.
EDDL is the only technology endorsed by the HART Communication Foundation for configuration, setup, maintenance and support of HART-enabled devices. With these new enhancements, the EDDL standard remains backward-compatible and stable for the long lifecycle needs of industrial automation; installed devices and systems remain compatible; EDDL files load and perform on systems in the same way; and updates continue without the problems of executable software.
