WICKLIFFE, Ohio -- To accelerate deployment of the Field Device Integration (FDI) technology, key suppliers recently agreed to enlarge the scope of the EDDL Cooperation Team and will become the FDI Cooperation. ABB fully supports and has been actively engaged in this important collaborative effort, which will help customers integrate a myriad of intelligent field devices, regardless of vendor or communications protocol.
This cooperation will initially consist of the associations: FDT Group, Fieldbus Foundation, HART Communications Foundation, OPC Foundation and PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation, as well as the companies ABB, Emerson, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, Invensys, Siemens and Yokogawa.
"ABB supports this effort, as this unification will make it easier for automation system owners to reach their ultimate goal to integrate intelligent field devices and host systems, regardless of the supplier and communication protocol," said Daniel Huber, Business Unit Manager, Open Control Systems, ABB. "This will ultimately result in better access to critical information from intelligent field devices, lower overall operating costs, and will deliver the full value potential of current and next generation intelligent devices. In addition, rationalization of EDDL across all process instrumentation protocols will reduce life-cycle support and development costs for instrumentation and control system vendors. It is a win-win for customers and the entire automation community.”
The FDI project was kicked-off at 2007 Hanover Fair. At this time ECT welcomed FDT Group with the primary objective of harmonizing EDDL and FDT/DTM technologies. Since then, the project has carefully shaped the technology direction for the converged FDI solution. The addition of supplier companies that have agreed to support FDI packages in their systems and products, will strengthen this effort by providing resources for the completion of this project.
Besides the finalization of the FDI specification, which is scheduled for mid 2010, the scope of the enlarged EDDL Cooperation Team is covering common design and test tools, common binary format and interpreter across the protocols of HART, FF and PROFIBUS.
The intent is to assure a uniform device integration solution for process industries across all host systems, devices and protocols as required by end users.
