Projec information

Title: fast semantics (fast actuators, sensors and tranceivers, secure manufacturing real time systems)

© fast semantics

Project duration: 01/2017-03/2019

Project manager: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Leon Urbas

Financing: BMBF

Project partners:

• ABB
• Bürkert Fluid Control Systems
• Koramis
• TUD - Stiftungsprofessur für Hochparallele VLSI-Systeme und Neuromikroelektronik;
• TUD - Professur für Mobile Nachrichtensysteme

Project description

For the vertical integration of semantic information carriers in process-related plant levels, it is indispensable that actuators and sensors show their data intelligently in the field level. Scenarios like process optimization, intelligent process control assistive control room technology or preventative maintenance requires to receive und process life time and life cycle data from every level and abstraction layers of a plant topology.

Actuator and sensor technology is a major booster of every process automation. Data protocols like OPC UA challenges these device classes. The micro computing platform built into these are designed to long-lasting, resilient and simultaneously cost effective. However, the requirements for the OPC UA protocol forces the use of complex 32 bit based computer systems using external memory components. This not only increases the price, but also the complexity of the products as well as the number of failure errors. The main task of the computing platform, the control of the actuators and sensors, remains unaltered. The Software for the new and powerful platforms must be ported and verified at great expense.

In the project Fast Semantics within the scope of the cluster Fast Actuators, Sensors & Transceiver, the realization of a hardware based OPC UA server will be investigated which functions as peripheral component for micro computing architectures. The hardware implementation enables completely and for the first time the deterministic, hart-real time implementation of the OPC UA protocol on-chip. The ASIC created for this project also uses the 28 nm CMOS SLP technology, which enables magnificent energy efficiency. The 2-Wire, GBit Ehternet PHY, contributed by the fast carnet, offers real time communication connection with a high bandwidth. It arises a high parameterizable, scalable IP-basis for semantically communication actuators and sensors in the field level.