OPC-UA-Integration of AutoID-Devices towards Industry 4.0, IoT and IIoT.
Overview
Within the last ten years OPC Foundation and AIM-D e.V. created the AIM OPCF AutoID companion specification in the AIM working group “System Integration” with the aim to integrate AutoID devices into the OPC UA world. A first version of the paper was presented at the Hanover Industrial Fair 2015. At the Hanover Industrial Fair 2016 the updated Version 1.0 was presented – including the description of first prototypes and applications as well as incorporating the cloud-capacity of AutoID systems and sensor networks which become more and more important for the concept of industry 4.0, IoT and IIoT. Further updates in this continuous process became presented at SPS 2019.
Technical content
RFID, but also other AutoID processes, are key technologies for the implementation of the philosophy of industry 4.0, IoT and IIot as well as for automated and autonomous process in industry and logistics. The more important it becomes to integrate these technologies as simple as possible into total solutions. Therefore AIM-D e.V. (Association for Automatic Data Capture, Identification and Mobility), responsible for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, defined standards on the basis of an OPC UA.
This Companion Specification lists the contribution AutoID technologies back to a common communication interface or a common data model. It includes the essential functionality including data type descriptions of individual variables, transfer and return parameters. The advantage of such a Companion Specification: the more manufacturers follow this recommendation and implement their communication interfaces accordingly, the faster different AutoID devices can become connected into new applications, even from different manufacturers. This saves time and increases investment protection of customers. The specifications can be expand, due to the object-oriented approach of OPC UA, so that producers retain their features, but can still benefit from a wide communication base. For example, all AutoID technologies include a scanning method which, for example, identifies new bar codes (optical) or RFID transponders (electronical). How this data then will become interpreted in detail, varies depending on the technology, but can be technically still describe universally.
For system integrators or end users, this means they can significantly integrate outpacing different AutoID devices and different technologies from different vendors into a particular infrastructure. At the same time other important aspects of OPC UA such as increased safety or the possibility to combine servers and clients functionality in a single unit will become integrated.
Companies behind
- Assion Electonic
- Balluff
- Fraunhofer IIS
- ICS
- Leuze
- Logopak
- MicroSensys
- Pepperl+Fuchs
- Sick
- Siemens
- Turck
- Ubisense
About AIM
- Founded 1972 in USA, more than 400 members in 30 countries
- Represents the large majority of leading AutoID companies
- AIM-D: German speaking chapter: more than 120 members, including automation specialists, technology provider, integrators, software engineers, and more in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
- The AutoID Companion Specification document is public available
Download here https://opcfoundation.org/developer-tools/specifications-unified-architecture/opc-unified-architecture-for-autoid/ - See a 3 min into video by Olaf Wilmsmeier here
- See a 6 min details video by Olaf Wilmsmeier here
- See here 2min video about a use-case workflow including PLC, SCADA and AutoID devices
- AIM Working Group “System Integration”: Chairperson Bernd Wieseler, (Turck), bernd.wieseler@turck.com
- AIM-D e.V.:
Peter Altes
Managing Director
Richard-Weber-Strasse 29
68623 Lampertheim
Germany
Phone: +49 6206 131 77
E-mail: info(at)AIM-D.de
Web: www.AIM-D.de
