THE END: INTERBUS Club now part of Profibus User Organization

Ethernet has become THE major solution for future field busses – as has been suggested more than 20 years ago. It took many years before enough users requested Ethernet based field busses.

Interbus is one of successful conventional field busses – in strong competition with Profibus and other solutions. Finally, Ethernet wins over Interbus and many other standard field busses. The Interbus Club released this: “Within users a strong change by the field bus technologies in the direction of Ethernet is to be recognized. Hence, the INTERCBUS club had promptly decided to set on … ethernet based standard.”

Click HERE for more information on the end of the Interbus Club.

There are (too) many Ethernet based international field bus standards specified in IEC 61158.

On the other side, IEC 61850 has – from the very beginning – decided to use native Ethernet and ICP/IP as specified in IEC 61850-8-1. There is an IEC 61850-8-1, where is the IEC 61850-8-2? The mapping of the ACSI and the information models to Profibus FMS was intended to be published as 8-2. Fortunately it was decided very some 15 years ago (!) to rely on Ethernet, TCP/IP and MMS – and not on a field bus.

IEC TC 57 to take action in Smart Grids

The IEC TC 57 has proposed a new work with the title "System interfaces and communication protocol profiles relevant for systems connected to the Smart Grid".

The ballot closes on May 09, 2011.

Click HERE for the proposal.

The proposal states: "In order to achieve interoperable interfacing between the components, the consistent, cost efficient and unambiguous integration of the new domains into the IEC TC57 methods of energy management, architecture, data models and protocols is crucial."

The most prominent IEC TC 57 Data Models and Protocols are those defined in IEC 61850! New Domains are, e.g., Industry, Home and Building Energy Control Systems. My guess is that the various components in these domains have to communicate directly (interoperable) with IEDs in power systems. The Client/Server communication in IEC 61850 seems to be the most useful communication model applicable in the communication between power system IEDs and IEDs in the new domains. The application profile according to IEC 61850-8-1 requires just native TCP/IP !!

Since IP networks are (to be) installed everywhere, it is easy to apply IEC 61850-8-1 without any change in most applications. Many existing IEDs like the COM.TOMs from Beck IPC and others could be used right away! They can be used as IEDs for monitoring and control in the new domains or they can be used as gateways between IEC 61850 and protocols in the new domains like Backnet, Profibus, Interbus, EtherCAT, CAN, Modbus, ...

This will accelerate the application of IEC 61850! ... in order to make systems more energy efficient and smarter by seamless:

• System configuration (IEC 61850-6),
• Information (IEC 61850-7-4xx, IEC 61400-25-2), and
• Information exchange (IEC 61850-7-2)
• Communication protocol (IEC 61850-8-1).