工业以太网

Ethernet is the basic internet technology for worldwide networking. The many possibilities of intranet and internet, which have been available for office applications for a long time, are now utilized for production automation with Industrial Ethernet.

Apart from the use of information technology, the deployment of distributed automation systems is also on the increase. This entails breaking up complex control tasks into smaller, manageable and drive-based control systems. This increases the demand for communication and consequently a comprehensive and powerful communication system.

Industrial Ethernet provides a powerful area and cell network for the industrial field, compliant with the IEEE 802.3 (ETHERNET) standard.

Ethernet enables a very fast data transfer (10/100 Mbit/s, 1/10 Gbit/s) and at the same time has full-duplex capability. It therefore provides an ideal basis for communication tasks in the industrial field. With a share of over 90 %, Ethernet is the number one network worldwide and offers important features which have essential advantages:

• Fast commissioning thanks to the simplest connection method
• High availability since existing networks can be extended without any adverse effects
• Almost unlimited communication performance because scalable performance is available through switching technology and high data rates when required
• Networking of different application areas such as office and production areas
• Company-wide communication based on WAN (Wide Area Network) technology or the internet
• Investment protection due to continuous compatibility with further developments
• Wireless communication using Industrial Wireless LAN

In order to make Ethernet suitable for industrial applications, considerable expansions with respect to functionality and design are required:

• Network components for use in harsh industrial environments
• Fast assembly of the RJ45 connectors
• Fail-safety through redundancy
• Expanded diagnostics and message concept
• Use of future-oriented network components (e.g. switches)

SIMATIC NET offers corresponding network components and products.

Industrial Ethernet with SINAMICS

SINAMICS provides Control Units and Communication Boards with PROFINET interface based on 100 Mbit/s Ethernet. This means that process communication in real-time, as well as engineering and HMI via standard TCP/IP are simultaneously possible.

It is also possible to access the web server in SINAMICS at the same time that process communication is in progress.

The CU310‑2 and CU320‑2 Control Units have an additional Ethernet interface at the front so that service and engineering tasks can be performed very easily.

Communication with SINAMICS over Industrial Ethernet

PG/PC/HMI communication

PG/PC/HMI communication is performed using protocols which are based on the basic TCP/IP protocol.

• Engineering and diagnostics with STARTER and SINAMICS Startdrive

IT communication

IT communication is performed using protocols which are based on the basic TCP/IP protocol. The most important IT protocols are:

• HTTP/HTTPS: Hypertext Transfer Protocol (Secure)
  Using a standard internet browser, it is possible to retrieve predefined web pages containing diagnostic information from the device. Furthermore, user-defined web pages containing information defined by the user can be stored in the device.
• SNMP: Simple Network Management Protocol

Industrial Ethernet with SIMOTION

SIMOTION can be perfectly integrated into any Industrial Ethernet communication architecture because each SIMOTION device offers at least one Ethernet interface as standard.

Industrial Ethernet is used in SIMOTION for data communication. Cyclic process communication with SINAMICS drives and distributed IO is implemented by means of PROFINET IO or PROFIBUS DP and PROFIdrive.

PG/PC/HMI communication

• Engineering and diagnostics with SIMOTION SCOUT
• Connection of SIMATIC HMI Panels with Ethernet interface using WinCC Basic/Comfort/Advanced
• Open communication of, for example, vendor-specific HMI tools over OPC server from SIMATIC NET

Standard communication

This uses the basic protocols UDP and TCP/IP, which are also used with Ethernet. SIMOTION offers the corresponding system functions for UDP and TCP/IP communication. This permits data to be exchanged over TCP/IP and UDP communication between:

• Different SIMOTION devices
• SIMOTION and SIMATIC S7 devices
• SIMOTION devices and any other device which uses standard TCP/IP or UDP communication. Such devices can be any kind of PC with any kind of operating system or other programmable controllers

IT communication

IT communication is performed using protocols which are based on the basic TCP/IP protocol. The most important IT protocols are:

• HTTP/HTTPS: Hypertext Transfer Protocol (Secure)
• FTP: File Transfer Protocol
• SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
• SNMP: Simple Network Management Protocol

SIMOTION supports the HTTP/HTTPS and FTP protocols. In addition, the following communication options are available for SIMOTION:

• Web pages in the SIMOTION device
  A standard internet browser can be used to access pre-defined web pages with diagnostics information on the SIMOTION device. Furthermore, user-defined web pages containing information defined by the user can be stored in the SIMOTION device.
• OPC XML-DA
  SIMOTION offers an OPC XML‑DA server integrated into the device. This server supplies SIMOTION process data. Communication from any external device is performed with the SOAP protocol (in accordance with the specification of the OPC Foundation), which is integrated into the HTTP protocol.
• OPC UA
  With the further development of the OPC XML‑DA standard to OPC UA, SIMOTION is offering a runtime-integrated OPC UA server. This server supplies SIMOTION process data. OPC UA permits standardized communication between SIMOTION and any external device. TCP/IP with binary data protocol according to the OPC Foundation's specification is used.