What new possibilities does IEC 61499 provide?

[Rodrigo_Garcia]

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[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

The IEC 61499 standard extends and enhances the IEC 61131-3 standard .

The IEC61499 standard solves the problems of ensuring portability, configurability, and interoperability of application software across vendors and, at the same time, software and hardware independence.

IEC61499 defines a high-level system design language for distributed information and control systems. It:

1. Enables automation applications to be built using portable, proven-in-use software components, independent of the underlying automation hardware.

2. Allows the user to distribute the application to any system hardware architecture of choice—highly distributed, centralized, or both—all with zero programming effort. Hardware targets can be as small as instruments and actuators, or as large as powerful edge computers.

3. The event-driven approach supports mainstream software best practices making it easy to create automation applications that interoperate with IT systems. Native IT convergence and easy portability will drive a long-term shift from low-value programming of proprietary controllers to high-value plug- and- produce automation systems using proven-in-use automation software components.

As well as running on EcoStruxure Automation Expert, IEC 61499 also runs on today’s PC-based platforms and IPC’s, as well as modern edge-computing devices such a Raspberry PI’s.

Driven by demand from end user organisations such as the Open Process Automation Forum, the trend towards such open hardware platforms will accelerate.

For more information on IEC 61499, download the whitepaper "IEC 61499: The Industrial Automation Standard for Portability that Unleashes Industry 4.0".