Time‐triggered Ethernet based on IEEE 1588 clock synchronisation

In industrial distributed control environments for automation technology, Ethernet network based solutions are gaining prominence in the traditional fieldbus application areas with the promise of standardised solutions that can support real‐time operation to a resolution of less than 1 μm. However, there are no formal standards for a real‐time Industrial Ethernet. This paper looks at some of the emerging de facto solutions and describes a novel project where clusters of real‐time transducer networks are developed and the control is tightly synchronised using the IEEE 1588 clock synchronisation standard, realising a “Time‐triggered Ethernet” solution.