Using Ethernet for industrial I/O and data acquisition

The worldwide familiarity, standardization and availability of Ethernet, along with its current and potential performance levels, has prompted increased consideration of Ethernet as a viable communications technology for distributing industrial I/O and data acquisition tasks. This paper examines the use of Ethernet-based measurement and data acquisition systems, and some of the unique requirements and considerations that result. Specifically, the performance level and reliability of Ethernet is shown to be evolving to a level to deliver very high-performance measurement data. Technologies that are key to this evolution include intelligent switching hubs and Fast Ethernet. Implementation of Ethernet-based measurement systems can be classified into one of two categories-the PC-based measurement system, or the dedicated Ethernet-based I/O device.