ZigBee-based wireless extension of FOUNDATION fieldbus

Wireless communication technology can bring great benefit to industrial automation systems. But because of the large investment and widespread usage of the Fieldbus technologies, wireless extension of the Fieldbus is attractive and becomes the focus of researches and applications. According to the industrial communication requirements and the wireless communication characters, a ZigBee-based wireless extension of FOUNDATION Fieldbus is put forward, providing wireless communication services for automatic monitoring and control for process industry. Its device types, network topology, communication model and performance are given out. When hybrid with wired FOUNDATION Fieldbus, the improved application gateway is used to connect wired and wireless devices and convert communications. The gateway uses logical devices to reduce communication delay and satisfy different real-time requirements. Performance analysis shows that it can guarantee the real-time communication and improve the efficiency of automation system over the hybrid field network.