Industrial Ethernet: Moving toward a Single Network Vision

At the recent ODVA technical conference, the key takeaway was that standards are emerging that will leverage Industrial Ethernet network convergence and edge devices to accelerate the migration from traditional field buses to Industrial Ethernet. New technologies including Single Pair Ethernet, Time Sensitive Networking, and constrained node devices/networks are seen as potentially impacting the use of Industrial Ethernet—in conjunction with EtherNet/IP—as we move into the future.100mbps poe switch

The argument is that, while Industrial Ethernet has exhibited rapid growth in recent years, field buses and sensor networks are still widely used. In addition, many potential network nodes remain hardwired. However, end users understand and will seek the advantages of a harmonized network based on Ethernet, Internet Protocol (IP), and the related open ecosystem. Potential benefits include reduced complexity and cost by minimizing the use of gateways and eliminating hardwiring, along with improved optimization and maintenance using cloud connectivity and analytics.

But unfortunately, there are also barriers to the single network vision. So while usage of a mix of EtherNet/IP, field buses, and hardwired nodes continues, open standards backed by IETF and IEEE are offering new alternatives. According to the technical paper, “Enhancements to EtherNet/IP for Constrained Devices and Networks,” which was presented at the ODVA conference: “IoT opportunities led IETF to create IP-stack optimizations for constrained devices and networks (RFC 7228). Enhancements are applicable to both low power wireless (6TiSCH) and wired networks, eliminating TCP overhead (UDP-only), compressing messages (6LoWPAN), expanding the address space (IPv6), optimizing security (OSCORE), and shrinking the Web server (CoAP).”
The idea is that “the resulting Single Pair Ethernet suite offers reduction in wiring, node cost, size, and power consumption, delivering communication and power over a single pair.”

Three key markets are driving volume, providing the opportunity for industrial users to leverage these technologies. This includes use of single pair Ethernet in automotive industry applications, building automation like smart LED lighting, and process automation.