Who will be the Final Overlord of the Three Mainstream Technologies of Industrial Communication?

Industrial Ethernet, fieldbus and industrial wireless are the three mainstream technologies in the field of industrial communication. The integration of fieldbus, Ethernet, embedded technology and wireless communication technology into the control network not only ensures the stability of the system, but also enhances the openness and interoperability of the system. Thus it will help enterprises to speed up the development of new products, reduce production costs and improve information services. With the increasing demand for communication, the network has become an indispensable means of transmission. With the increase of network applications, there are more and more disputes about who will become the main way of industrial communication in the future, so who will become the mainstream in the future?

The concept of fieldbus was formally put forward in 1984. The emergence of fieldbus not only simplifies the structure of the system, but also greatly simplifies the design, installation, operation, maintenance and maintenance of the whole control system. So the emergence of fieldbus technology does bring a deep revolution to industrial automation. In the past decade, it has also been rapidly developed in the field of industrial control and has been widely used in industrial automation systems. But so far there is not a unified standard for fieldbus technology. In fact, since the concept of fieldbus was put forward, the International Electrotechnical Commission / International Standards Association (IEC/ISA) began to formulate the standard of fieldbus, and the unified standard has not yet been completed. Many companies have also launched their own fieldbus technologies, but it is difficult to unify their openness and interoperability.

Just when the field bus standard war was in full swing, Ethernet quietly entered the control field, thus resulting in a new term "industrial Ethernet", and due to the advantages of faster transmission rate of Ethernet than fieldbus, etc.s. Ethernet technology was born in its prime, and its momentum has overshadowed the fieldbus in recent years. However, just like the dispute over the standard of fieldbus at that time, there are many different Ethernet technologies in industrial Ethernet, such as Ethernet/IP, Profinet, ModbusTCP, EtherCAT, Powerlink. These networks are based on different technologies and protocols at different levels, including OPC, CP, IP. Each technology is supported by a different manufacturer camp, which determines the coexistence of a variety of Ethernet technologies.

For wireless technology, from complex cabling to the need for only one wireless transmitter and relying on a PC to using any device with a wireless terminal adapter, the connection to the network is unimpeded at any time, in any region and on any device. The development of technology has also promoted the progress of society, whether it is military products, industrial products, or even civilian products. Wireless technology has become an indispensable part of social development. Compared with the wired network, the wireless network has mobility. There is no limitation of communication cable, and it can move freely or be arranged at will in the communication area. The installation of wireless communication system avoids the tedious work of digging cable ditch and laying cable when installing cable network, and reduces the amount of construction. With wide coverage area, wireless communication can cover all the areas that can be reached by wired communication. And data communication can be realized in places where it is not convenient to use wired network; it has strong expansibility. It can form a variety of topological structures and is very easy to expand nodes. Of course, at this stage, people still have doubts and wait-and-see attitudes about the security, reliability and cost performance of wireless technology, and they do not know much about what kind of industrial applications wireless technology is suitable for.

Fieldbus, Ethernet and wireless technology have their own advantages and disadvantages, so who will be the mainstream in the future? Obviously, there is not only one technology that is the "right" solution for all manufacturers or machines. Manufacturers must weigh the value of various options. Is there another kind of profit that is more valuable than the benefits of ordinary solutions? If so, how do these solutions compare to the cost of maintaining another plant-level technology and the corresponding supplier relationship within a few years? This is a key question and only the end user can answer it. Similarly, these problems are also applicable to fieldbus and Ethernet technology, and even to the choice of future wireless network solutions.

It can be said that the development of any kind of technology is ultimately determined by its own characteristics, and the user will give the final answer. No matter who is the mainstream of Ethernet, fieldbus and wireless technology in the future, how to make the industrial control system more open and compatible is the ultimate trend.