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PROFINET Competence Center - ZHAW

Prof. Hans Doran

Technikumstrasse 9

8401 Winterthur

Switzerland

Phone: +41 58 934 76 76

Fax: +41 58 935 76 76

Email: info.ines(at)zhaw(dot)ch

Web: https://www.zhaw.ch/en/engineering/institutes-centres/ines/

Competence Areas
  • PROFIBUS
  • PROFIBUS PA
  • PROFIdrive
  • PROFIsafe
  • PROFINET
  • PROFINET PA
  • PROFIdrive
  • PROFIsafe
Profile

InES has been a PROFINET International Competence Center and a regular contributor to the PICC conferences and exhibitor at fairs since 2003. InES, with its partners, offers trainings, consulting and technical support for PROFINET developers and manufacturers. The PROFINET Competence Center - ZHAW is part of the national consortia swissT.net that composes of different Laboratories and Institutes of Universities of Applied Sciences (UaS).


Solutions:
InES pioneered the optimisation of communication stack performance through use of appropriate hardware. The PROFINET ecosystem is well served by suitable and high-performance software stacks. To tickle the maximum performance from this software, appropriate hardware architectures are required. InES, on the basis of a universal
Real-Time Ethernet controller platform, offers easyIO and easyIRT, two hardware platforms for optimal implementation of PROFINET nodes. Both solutions are low-footprint, highly configurable PROFINET device solution designed specifically for high-performance distributed automation systems.

Current activities include implementing PROFINET IRT compatible security solutions.

  • PROFINET IO - easyIO presumes the use of a soft-core microcontroller running an operating system. InES has experience with eCOS, Linux, VxWorks, NetOS and other popular operating systems. As shown, easyIO provides separate buffers for LLDP and DCP frames, used in the boot-process, IP legacy traffic as well as ART and RTA frames. The Siemens PROFINET stack has been ported to this platform and could be successfully demonstrated, compatible to all other devices, at the first PROFINET IO devices PlugFest, March 2009. Other stacks may be easily ported to this platform, full documentation is provided.
  • PROFINET IRT - easyIRT is a Profinet IRT IP core, developed by InES, can easily be combined with other IP cores to build entire System on Chip (SoC) solutions. Featuring a complete IEEE 1588 PTP implementation in hardware, this core can uphold standard cycle times of 31.25us without batting the proverbial eye. Using a 400MHz timestamp synchronisation accuracy of 60ns over 20 nodes can be reached.

Training, Workshops, Seminars:
Training is given mainly in German and English.

  • basic education according the engineering curriculum
  • hand-on training courses for the industry
  • in house training on special request


Special services:

  • consulting about PROFINET solutions and device development
  • general support for device development
  • implementation and potations of PROFINET IO stack to new HW platforms
Available experts
  • Prof. Hans Doran (donn(at)zhaw(dot)ch):

    • PROFIBUS
    • PROFIBUS PA
    • PROFIdrive
    • PROFIsafe
    • PROFINET
    • PROFINET PA
    • PROFIdrive
    • PROFIsafe
  • David Ganz (ganz(at)zhaw(dot)ch):

    • PROFIBUS
    • PROFIBUS PA
    • PROFIdrive
    • PROFIsafe
    • PROFINET
    • PROFINET PA
    • PROFIdrive
    • PROFIsafe
  • Prosper Leibundgut (leiu(at)zhaw(dot)ch):

    • PROFIBUS
    • PROFIBUS PA
    • PROFIdrive
    • PROFIsafe
    • PROFINET
    • PROFINET PA
    • PROFIdrive
    • PROFIsafe
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PROFIBUS is a standardized, open, digital communications system for all areas of application in manufacturing and process automation.

PROFINET is the innovative open standard for Industrial Ethernet. It satisfies all requirements of automation technology..

IO-LINK is an independent sensor / actuator interface solution for use with PROFIBUS and PROFINET.