Because openness plays such a vital role in so many applications, B&R makes it a point to offer all major fieldbus connections in a wide variety of form factors for all control system platforms. What's more, third-party devices can be fully integrated in Automation Studio through the use of EDS or GSD device description files or FDT/DTM technology.
In the other direction, fieldbus slave modules (bus controllers) make it possible to seamlessly connect B&R I/O systems to third-party controllers.
OPC UA over TSN
OPC UA
POWERLINK
PROFINET
PROFIBUS DP
Ethernet IP
EtherCAT
ModbusTCP
DeviceNet
X2X Link
CAN bus
CANopen
OPC UA is the interoperability standard for the secure and reliable exchange of data in the industrial automation space and in other industries. It is platform-independent and ensures the seamless flow of information among devices from multiple vendors.
The associated specifications have been developed by industry vendors, end-users, and software developers. They define the interface between clients and servers, as well as servers and servers, including access to real-time data, monitoring of alarms and events, and access to historical data, and other applications.
OPC UA over TSN is an important part of OPC UA FX. FX stands for Field eXchange, the name for the extensions of the OPC UA framework to meet the diverse requirements for field-level communications. OPC UA over TSN has 18x more performance compared to other protocols. This makes highly deterministic application requirements, such as the synchronization of a robot with an intelligent trak system, possibly with even greater precision and performance.
POWERLINK offers uncompromising real-time capabilities. A transmission speed of 100 Mbit/s and a synchronization accuracy of ±100 ns allow even the most demanding tasks in the areas of control engineering, robotics, CNC and motion control to be combined in a single network.
PROFINET IO is a specified industrial Ethernet standard based on proven TCP/IP and IT technologies. This standard differentiates between three different performance classes: non-real-time, real-time and isochronous real-time.
Used with more than 90% of all PROFIBUS fieldbus devices, PROFIBUS DP is still one of the most prominent fieldbuses in the world. It is a fast (up to 12 Mbit/s) and simple protocol for classical automation tasks in the field of manufacturing engineering.
EtherNet/IP is a soft real-time system. Based on the underlying TCP/IP protocols TCP and UDP, EtherNet/IP supports continuity between the office network and the plant being controlled.
Published in the IEC 61158 standard, this protocol is suitable for both hard and soft real-time requirements in automation technology. EtherCAT is a high-speed industrial Ethernet system that is also suitable for use in time-critical motion control applications.
Modbus TCP/IP is a client/server protocol for the connection-oriented, secure exchange of process data. This offers a high degree of flexibility for decentralized automation architectures.
Standardized in both IEC 62026 and EN 50325, DeviceNet is open fieldbus technology based on the CAN protocol.
The CAN bus enjoys widespread popularity, especially in machine manufacturing. High resistance to disturbances, high-speed data transfer, ease of use and deterministic real-time behavior are some of the reasons for this success. CAN is the ideal fieldbus for applications with a manageable number of remote I/O nodes and few axes.
CANopen is a communication protocol that allows for flexible configurations and uses CAN as the layer 2 transport medium. Originally developed for motion control applications, it has also become a fixture in medical technology, shipping, railroads and even building automation.
With X2X Link, the system bus of B&R controllers is laid outward on a copper cable. This allows modules to be placed directly next to each other or connected up to 100 m across control cabinet boundaries without system discontinuity or the use of a bus converter. Based on twisted copper cables, X2X Link guarantees maximum resistance to disturbances and worldwide use without requiring special tools.