The Fieldbus Foundation announced the latest updates to its Foundation fieldbus technical specifications (Version 2014.1) will further enhance the industrial network protocol for remote operations management (ROM).
The “Foundation for ROM” specification-related updates, along with an update to the Common File Format (CFF) specification, improve coverage of ROM communication profiles under existing specifications in preparation for the first official ROM device registrations, says spokesperson Talon Petty. Additionally, there is expanded specifications support for complex, mixed conventional I/O points.
“The first development of its kind, Foundation for ROM integrates remote input/output (I/O), ISA 100.11a, WirelessHART, wired HART, and Foundation fieldbus H1 protocols into a single, open-standard data management environment,” said Petty. “With Modbus incorporation under development, Foundation for ROM allows full integration of field connected assets into the Foundation fieldbus infrastructure. These enhancements further extend the capabilities of Foundation fieldbus to wired and wireless devices installed in some of the world's harshest and most remote locations.”
This open, non-proprietary solution provides a unified digital infrastructure for asset management in applications ranging from tank farms and terminals to pipelines, offshore platforms and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) skids.
As part of this new technical specifications release, a fixed set of Device Description (DD) Symbol IDs was added to technical note 16 in order to improve interoperability between backwards-compatible devices and host systems. This provides a more reliable way for a host to properly take advantage of the backwards compatibility of a device.
“In 2013, the foundation created a continuous improvement process initiative with the ultimate goal of making the end users' experience with Foundation technology easier than with conventional analog control systems,” said Petty. “Since then, the Usability Initiative has resulted in four immediate objectives toward this common goal: backwards compatibility, pre-defined device templates, automated device replacement, and process value (PV) interchangeability.” Backwards compatibility simplifies device replacement.
For more information about Foundation for ROM, visit the Remote Operations Management page on the Foundation 's website at www.fieldbus.org. Details on Foundation Technical Specifications, along with purchasing instructions, can be found on the Technical Specifications page.
