Fieldbus Foundation Standardizes on DDL

The Fieldbus Foundation (www.fieldbus.org) updated its FOUNDATION fieldbus specifications with features that enhance fieldbus functionality and provide additional incentives for automation equipment suppliers to adopt the specification. The update, 6.0, includes features standardized in Device Description Language (DDL).

DDL is a text-based language describing the digital communication characteristics of intelligent devices and equipment parameters in an Operating System (OS) and User Interface (UI)-neutral environment. DDL enables a host system manufacturer to create a single engineering environment capable of supporting any device, from any supplier, using any communications protocol, without the need for custom software drivers for each device type.

The updated DDL specification extends the concept of interoperability to the HMI and diagnostic data level with improved visualization and graphical features. New features focus on device data organization, graphical visualization consistency, and support for persistent data storage. These enhancements are backward and forward compatible due to the nature of the IEC 61804-2 standard.

Fieldbus Foundation members purchasing or renewing a specification maintenance agreement will automatically receive a complete copy of the FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 and HSE Specification 6.0, including all updates to these specifications.