Yokogawa Electric Corporation is promoting efforts to develop the ISA100.11a*1 wireless communication standard for the process automation (PA) industry. Based on this standard, Yokogawa will develop a new field digital network platform that will enhance productivity by eliminating the difficulties users currently face with incompatible wireless communication protocols and making possible the systematic integration of wired and wireless technologies.
Wireless networks offer the following advantages to the PA industry:
* Reduced wiring and engineering costs.
* The ability to install sensors in difficult-to-wire locations.
* Improved plant safety through low-cost online device diagnostics.
Despite such benefits, wireless networks have seen limited use to date in the PA industry due to the requirement for advanced technologies that ensure high reliability, realtime response, environmental resistance, and explosion-proof protection; and because of the aforementioned use of incompatible wireless communication protocols.
Yokogawa is supporting development of the ISA100.11a standard because it has the following benefits:
* High reliability that ensures safe production operations and information security.
* Is based on IPv6*2 and can accommodate larger networks.
* Offers excellent compatibility with existing instrumented systems that use non-wireless protocols such as foundation fieldbus, HART, PROFIBUS, and Modbus.
* Is suitable for a wide range of applications, from monitoring to control.
As a member of the ISA100 Standards Committee on Wireless Systems for Automation, Yokogawa will engage in a wide range of activities to promote development of the ISA100.11a international standard. Yokogawa will also strengthen its expertise in field installations by conducting product testing in the field and proposing wireless applications. In addition, Yokogawa will develop systems products and field devices that comply with this standard, and plan to release them in the first half of fiscal 2010.
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