FieldDC: An open frame application for fully exploiting the FDT/DTM technology

Currently Predictive Maintenance (PM) represents one of the most interesting topics in automation industry. The research of advanced predictive techniques is strictly connected with the availability of data provided by field devices inside a plant. The framework Field Data Catcher (FieldDC) presented in this paper proposes a solution to the problem of transporting information from field devices to a central database, where advanced diagnostic algorithms can be performed. A key feature of the framework is its possibility of operating regardless the type of field devices and communication protocols. To achieve this goal, the framework uses the functionality provided by FDT/DTM (Field Device Tool/Device Type Manager), an open technology that standardizes the communication and configuration interface between all field devices and host systems.