ODVA Specifications for CIP Networks

ODVA is publishing new editions of the specifications for ODVA networks, updating the EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet and ControlNet technologies, and the CIP Safety extension to the EtherNet/IP and DeviceNet networks.

The ongoing evolution of these technologies continues to help end users to utilize fully their networks for the growing range of industrial applications. Of the 44 specific enhancements to these technologies, ODVA’s addition of QuickConnect functionality and IP Address Conflict Detection to The EtherNet/IP Specification will be of significant interest to end users.

ODVA's Automotive Special Interest Group (Auto SIG), defined a new, easily deployable timing sequence to connect devices within 500 milliseconds using EtherNet/IP. Officially called “QuickConnect,” ODVA expects to see the first deployments in automotive applications within the next 6 to 9 months, and due to the flexibility of the specification, also expects to see Quick Connect becoming widely deployed in multiple industries. Enrico De Carolis, chair of ODVA’s Auto SIG and Director of Technology Development for ODVA member Numatics, Inc., states that “Over the last few years EtherNet/IP has been adopted for automotive manufacturing applications at a blistering pace. For tool changer applications, DeviceNet with QuickConnect has been used for several years. With QuickConnect now available on EtherNet/IP, automotive users will be able use a single EtherNet/IP network when QuickConnect is needed which will simplify deployment, commissioning, maintainability.”

Recognizing that users continue to enlarge the size of their EtherNet/IP systems in both in terms of number of devices and physical footprint of the installation, ODVA has also introduced a new service for EtherNet/IP networks called Address Conflict Detection (ACD). This feature will improve ease of use for EtherNet/IP users as the trend toward larger systems has made it easier to have system problems resulting from the accidental introduction of devices with duplicate Internet Protocol addresses (IP addresses).

ACD will enable EtherNet/IP devices to detect and act upon IPv4 address conflicts, including defending their IP address and providing diagnostics to identify that a conflict has occurred and which devices are involved. ADR helps to solve the historically difficult and time consuming problem of identifying and resolving communication problems caused by IP address conflicts to ensure the consistent behavior of devices in such circumstances. Further, users, who may have been further frustrated by the lack of standards for detecting IP address conflicts, will be pleased to know that ACD conforms to the IETF RFC 5227.

CIP Safety, ODVA’s extension to its Common Industrial Protocol for functional safety, now includes the addition of a Safety Analog Device Profile with capability for dual inputs. Introduced in 2002, CIP Safety has been certified by TÜV Rheinland to comply with IEC 61508 in applications up to SIL3, and CIP Safety-compliant devices have been working in the field since 2005.

The specifications are organized as a group of publications entitled The CIP Networks Library. Each specification is made up of one or more volumes of The CIP Networks Library.: