By Clark Kinnaird, Texas Instruments, Dallas Texas
AN IMPORTANT TREND in factory automation is the continual increase in networked interconnection between sensors, controls, actuators and other system components. This White Paper discusses the necessary choices in selecting a network technology appropriate for various specific applications. Technical constraints of several common field buses will be compared, and guidelines for selecting media and protocol will be discussed.
The intended audience is system designers who will develop networked automation, but who may not be familiar with the details of data transmission design. The audience should come away with a general overview of common field buses available, and some knowledge of the kinds of questions to consider when choosing an architecture, a protocol, and an implementation.