ODVA Has Published Enhancements to the EtherNet/IP Specification

ODVA Continues EtherNet/IP Adaptation for Process Automation with Addition of Standard Process Diagnostics

ODVA announced that it has published enhancements to the EtherNet/IP specification that outlines integration of NAMUR NE 107 diagnostics for process automation into CIP architectures. The addition of this capability provides industry standard diagnostic information for process users while leveraging the capabilities of industrial Ethernet.

The process diagnostics update to EtherNet/IP creates a CIP Process Device Diagnostics Object, which provides a known, public interface to a device’s current diagnostics and NE 107 status, according to the NAMUR recommendation NE 107 for Self-Monitoring and Diagnosis of Field Devices. The NAMUR NE 107 status signal that is now available with EtherNet/IP provides the following status information: Failure, Function Check, Out of Specification, Maintenance Required, or None. The CIP Process Device Diagnostics Object expands the amount of data available with EtherNet/IP by providing access to the current NE 107 diagnostics information of a field device from different vendors.

In addition to the status signal, the CIP Process Diagnostics Object maps up to 64 diagnoses from a device, such as flow, pressure or temperature status, that the user can group as desired. Vendor-specific additional diagnoses can be added as well. Applications can now more efficiently poll supported EtherNet/IP field devices for changes of diagnostic status and can obtain additional diagnostics information using explicit messaging or object specific services. For example, all devices diagnosed with a certain NE 107 signal (such as Maintenance Required) can be polled by a single common service request. With EtherNet/IP, this diagnostic information can be transported where it needs to go, such as to a DCS for an operator’s review and potential maintenance action or to an edge device for predictive maintenance analysis.

The integration of HART devices and NAMUR NE 107 Process Diagnostics into the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) suite continues ODVA’s efforts to adapt EtherNet/IP to the wide spectrum of process industries’ needs. Future efforts include profiles for field devices to help simplify device integration and comprehensive device configuration methods.

EtherNet/IP Enhanced to Integrate IO-Link Devices

ODVA announced that it has published enhancements to the EtherNet/IP specification that outlines how to integrate devices built to the IO-Link Communication Standard into CIP architectures. The addition of this capability allows for IO-Link sensors and devices at the lowest level of the network to be better connected with EtherNet/IP controllers and devices at higher levels of the network.

IO-Link to CIP connectivity helps to reduce the engineering effort and ease the acquisition of data and information, resulting in a connected plant that is better able to meet the demands that IT/OT convergence are bringing to the factory floor. IO-Link devices can now be recognized within EtherNet/IP without the end user having the challenge of data conversion. From the perspective of EtherNet/IP, an IO-Link device is viewed as a native CIP device sitting on a (virtual) subnet. The IO-Link Master provides the CIP capability for the IO-Link device that is transparent to the originating CIP application. All three types of IO-Link communication (cyclic, acyclic, and events) are mapped to CIP communication types. CIP to IO-Link communication is possible with an unchanged IO-Link master and device specification that is standardized within IEC. Direct communication is enabled via translation between CIP originators and IO-Link devices through the intermediate IO-Link master. All IO-Link devices are treated as if they were CIP Connection target devices (I/O Adapters) on a virtual IO-Link subnet.

ODVA is continually enhancing EtherNet/IP to address new network architectures and methods of communication brought about by the advent of Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things.