Fieldbus Foundation(TM) encouraged by IEC ruling on international fieldbus standard

Fieldbus Foundation^TM encouraged by IEC ruling on international fieldbus standard

Keywords Fieldbus

The Fieldbus FoundationTM has said it is encouraged by an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Committee of Action ruling which recognises worldwide support for IEC 61158, and assures approval of the international fieldbus standard by the end of 1999.

The IEC Committee of Action, meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on 15 June,established a timeframe during which the commission's SC65C Working Group can amend the technical specifications of IEC 61158. Any amendments to the specifications, such as the addition of profiles for other protocols, must be submitted by mid-October 1999, and voted on by the end of December 1999. Should the amended technical documents not be available within four months, or if the ballot fails at the end of the voting period, the current IEC 61158-3, 4, 5 and 6 technical specifications will become IEC international standards.

The Committee of Action's decision clears the way for an international fieldbus standard, and signifies the "overwhelming worldwide support for IEC 61158", according to Fieldbus Foundation President John Pittman.

"By establishing a mandatory deadline for final approval of IEC 61158, the Committee of Action is responding to the wishes of approximately 86 per cent of the world's automation market voting in favour of the IEC 61158 documents", said Pittman. "The Fieldbus Foundation views this ruling as a step forward, and will continue to work for a standard we believe is in the best interest of the world's end user community."

The IEC ruling is good news for the global automation marketplace, added Pittman, because it eliminates uncertainty with regard to future fieldbus technology investments. "The Fieldbus Foundation's specifications are fully-compliant with IEC 61158, and as such, end users can install FoundationTM fieldbus with the confidence their systems will comply with the international standard to be approved by the year's end."

The Fieldbus Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation consisting of over 135 leading process and manufacturing automation companies worldwide whose major purpose is to provide an open and neutral environment for the development of a single, international, interoperable fieldbus. In this environment, end users,manufacturers, universities and research organisations are working together to develop the technology, provide development tools, support and training,coordinate field trials and demonstrations, and enable product interoperability.

For further information, please contact Fieldbus Foundation European Operations, PO Box 708, Ede, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 (0) 318 692885; Fax: +31(0) 318 6453157; E-mail: hvdb@fieldbus.org