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10.2.- CONTROLLERS & INDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATIONS
The evolution in the control of large industrial plants gives rise to a new type of systems in which control is no longer implemented in a single device: distributed control systems or DCS. In these systems, the process to automate is divided into simple control loops that are locally regulated by industrial controllers and/or programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and monitored by a central supervisory and control system (SCADA). This decentralized structure makes it necessary to establish an operation hierarchy between the different devices (CIM model or pyramid) and a communications network that allows the flow of information.
View moreIn the CIM automation model, the higher levels are related to the supervision and planning of the production and the lower levels to the completion of the process control. The field devices (sensors and actuators) and the related local controllers are found in the lower levels. Industrial communications at these levels are made by fieldbuses, which replace the point-to-point connections of the traditional 4-20mA current loops by digital point-to-multipoint networks. These communications are regulated by diverse protocols and standards, among them the HART, Fieldbus Foundation, Profibus, Modbus, Profinet, Ethernet and AS-i.
The latest developments in the field of industrial communications include wireless protocols and systems, an increase in remote functions and operations, embedded web servers and mobile control through HMI devices.
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