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Appendix B – Foundation Fieldbus Network
FOUNDATION Fieldbus Overview
A FOUNDATION fieldbus (FF) system is a distributed system composed of field devices and
control/monitoring equipment integrated into the physical environment of a plant or factory.
FOUNDATION fieldbus devices work together to provide I/O and control functions for
automated processes and operations. FOUNDATION fieldbus systems may operate in
manufacturing and process control environments. Some environments require intrinsic
safety.
Also, FOUNDATION fieldbus is an all-digital, serial, two-way communication system, specified
in two layers:
•
H1, (31.25 kbit/s) interconnects “field” equipment such as sensors, actuators and I/O.
•
HSE (100 Mbit/s) (High Speed Ethernet) provides integration of high speed controllers
(such as PLCs), H1 subsystems (via a linking device), data servers and workstations.
FOUNDATION fieldbus is the only protocol with the built-in capability to distribute the control
application (CIF) across the network. (See Reference (FOUNDATION™ Specification, Technical
Overview – FD-043, Rev 3.0))
The Fieldbus Foundation™ organization, currently merged with the HART communication
foundation to compose the newer organization called FieldComm Group™, oversees the
F
OUNDATION
fieldbus specifications and conformance testing of F
OUNDATION
fieldbus products.
It is open to any manufacturer or user of this protocol with a worldwide membership of over
100 companies.
The F
OUNDATION
fieldbus communications protocol is an industry proven international
standard (IEC 61158). Features include multi-drop capabilities (as many as 32 devices per
segment), extended trunk length, single loop integrity, "control in the field", power and
communication on a shielded twisted pair network, and compatibility with intrinsically safe
networks. A key feature of the FF protocol is the ability to select where control of the process
is situated - in the host, in the field, or in various combinations of both locations.
