Foundation, Hart and Profibus Launch Joint Wireless Initiative

The Fieldbus Foundation has announced it has joined the HART Communication Foundation (HCF) and Profibus Nutzerorganisation (PNO) in launching a cooperative initiative for wireless technology in the manufacturing and process industries.

This new project is an extension of the organizations' collaboration on Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and another step to deliver consistent functionality to automation end users. The intent of the collaboration is to facilitate the acceptance of wireless technology in industrial automation.

As part of the wireless initiative, the three industry organizations will develop a specification for a common interface to a wireless gateway, while insuring complete compatibility with the existing wired versions of each participant's technology. They have agreed to base their work on the WirelessHART technology of the HART Communication Foundation and the emerging ISA SP100.11a standard.

The project will include development of use cases, requirements and specifications for wireless communication with intelligent field devices in process measurement and control applications in the automation industries. As was done with their EDDL cooperation, the three groups have also agreed to develop a common set of compliance guidelines for incorporation into their respective product registration processes.