Martin Wollschlaeger

The Future of Industrial Communication: Automation Networks in the Era of the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0

With the introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT) and cyberphysical system (CPS) concepts in industrial application scenarios, industrial automation is undergoing a tremendous change. This is made possible in part by recent advances in technology that allow interconnection on a wider and more fine-grained scale. The purpose of this article is to review technological trends and the impact they may have on industrial communication. We will review the impact of IoT and CPSs on industrial automation from an industry 4.0 perspective, give a survey of the current state of work on Ethernet time-sensitive networking (TSN), and shed light on the role of fifth-generation (5G) telecom networks in automation. Moreover, we will point out the need for harmonization beyond networking.

A service-oriented approach for increasing flexibility in manufacturing

Manufacturing environments are characterized by a multitude of heterogeneous devices, networks, specific protocols and applications. Therefore, static structures, close coupling and vendor-specific solutions have been established over decades. To increase flexibility and interoperability we introduce a service-oriented middleware approach in form of an integration layer between shop-floor equipment and enterprise applications. The integration layer addresses the actual capabilities and data flows on the field and control layer individually. It offers core services that are applicable in several manufacturing domains. We describe a detailed case study to discuss pros and cons of a SOA approach in manufacturing systems and to show the feasibility of our approach.

Integration of fieldbus systems into on-line asset management solutions based on fieldbus profile descriptions

The use of fieldbus installations enables access to device information important for advanced functions like synthesizing plant data for asset management. Until now, this information is used only inadequately, since this information can only be integrated into existing applications with considerable expenditure. The paper shows an object-oriented asset management solution based on fieldbus profile descriptions. It realizes an additional, self-configuring information channel between field and plant control level. Clients can access application modules via TCP/IP networks. These modules can be loaded dynamically at run time. They implement enhanced functionality suitable for asset management tasks.

Framework for Web integration of factory communication systems

The adoption of Web-related technologies is an important challenge. Web integration does not only cover the adoption of technologies in application, but also a transparent integration of Web application protocols and use of description technology for interfaces. These tasks can be combined within a framework, allowing applications to share information with each other using standardised access methods and exchange formats. The paper outlines the meaning of a generic description and of an appropriate content model for Web integration of factory communication systems.

Web integration of factory communication systems using an XML framework

Web integration is an important task in factory communication systems. Since the multitude of web technologies offers a broad variety of suitable solutions, heterogeneous and incompatible implementations have to be expected. Using a concept based on context-depending XML (Extensible Markup Language) descriptions, linked together in a framework, this problem can be solved. The paper shows concepts, description methods, software tools, and migration paths in XML-based frameworks. Special focus is put on Web services.

Advanced Concepts for Flexible Data Integration in Heterogeneous Production Environments

Data integration is a key function in modern production environments. A multitude of data sources need to be accessed in order to extract, aggregate, evaluate, and present the right data to the right user at the right time. Service oriented solutions let expect benefits for this tasks, since they provide the loose coupling of applications and thus the requested flexibility for integration. The paper discusses advanced concepts by applying the SOA paradigm to a Function Block approach. The evaluation of the concepts has been performed within prototypes of the PLANTCockpit project.

XML based description model as a platform for Web-based maintenance

Web technologies are gaining increased importance in automation and control systems. The choice of appropriate Web technologies depends on the use cases in the application environment. However, it is important not only to focus on one single technology, but to combine and to integrate different Web technologies within a portal. The paper discusses such a Web portal for maintenance purposes, which uses several Web technologies. It is based on a model describing the relations between topological and functional entities of the application system and the single Web technologies used. This hierarchical description model is defined in XML. The structure of this model is described and the use of description information for the realization of different functionality is shown. Special attention is paid to the security features of the solution. This requires specific description elements, ensuring access to description is limited to functional roles or user personalization. Different implementation aspects, and experiences derived from two prototype implementations are discussed

Tool support for the development of IEC 62390 compliant fieldbus profiles

Industrial communication systems standardize communication protocols and services. Interoperability within automation and control systems need additional application definitions. This is usually organized with fieldbus profile specifications. Profiles become part of the overall development process of the device manufacturer. Unfortunately, todays profile descriptions are very informal and have nearly no support for the development process. This paper presents a semi-formal profile specification approach, based on IEC 62390 and using a mixed UML and MS Word process. Result of both specifications is an XML representation which can be integrated in the device development process. This method is developed for the PROFIBUS User Organisation for PROFIBUS and PROFINET device profiles.

An information model for life cycle support of field device related documents

Each field device contains a set of data for automation and control, but also for other stages in life cycle. In addition, device-related documentation like descriptions, instructions, pictures and multimedia documents exist. Thus, the device is a central part of a complex information set, usable by software tools throughout a devices life cycle, from configuration towards diagnosis, repair, and asset management. In heterogeneous networks containing devices from different vendors, the variety of the above-mentioned information requires a flexible, adaptable and extensible organizational structure for the information set. The paper describes such a system and presents an application example for PROFIBUS / PROFINET systems.

The Semantic Web in action: semantically enabled Device Descriptions

In this paper, an approach to overcome the limits of XML encoded device descriptions by employing semantic Web technologies is presented. Starting with an illustration of the state of the art of working with XML device descriptions, reasons for a need to overcome these limits are given. The semantic Web, as idea and implementation, is then introduced shortly, followed by a presentation of the architectural concept. To conclude, this paper will highlight upsides and downsides of the system, and give a short overview over planned work.