A new approach of integration of PROFIBUS-DP systems into industrial Ethernet systems

With the wide use of PROFIBUS-DP and industrial Ethernet, an effective integration solution of the two networks is significant to solve the problem of incompatibility between them. Based on the analysis of current integration methods using PLC, PC/PG or Link, a new class 1 master link based integration of PROFIBUS-DP systems into industrial Ethernet systems is proposed. Comparatively, especially for the distributed and local control systems, this integration method has its own advantages with the characteristics of simple, flexible and cost-efficient. The hardware and software designs of the class 1 master link are presented respectively in this paper. And the detailed implementations of PROFIBUS-DP interface, industrial Ethernet interface, kernel system and data exchange mechanism are described.