SERCOS III unanimously accepted as IEC standard

27 November 2007

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has unanimously approved SERCOS III, the real-time Ethernet version of the SERCOS interface, as part of international standard IEC 61784-2 (Digital data communications in control technology) and IEC 61158 (Field bus for industrial control systems).

SERCOS III is the third generation of the widely accepted SERCOS interface, and integrates the open Ethernet protocol with high-speed data transfer at 100 MBit per second. Additional innovations include improved safety, the construction of efficient networks with minimum cabling due to a redundant ring and/or line structure, and specific cross communication traffic between control systems.

Offering a clear migration path from previous versions, SERCOS III builds on the original standard, SERCOS I, established in 1995. The more flexible SERCOS II followed in 1999.

With the third generation, SERCOS increases speed and enables the use of CAT-5 copper cables in addition to optical fibre waveguides, and it transfers data packets according to the TCP/IP Internet protocol. The trouble-free real-time operation is ensured by a number of security functions and secure full duplex operation.

Peter Lutz, managing director of SERCOS International, said the IEC vote affirmed SERCOS as a ‘proven option’.

‘SERCOS interface maintains its continuity and at the same time opens new perspectives for new applications. In comparison to the many competitive interfaces on the market, it provides both users and developers with the necessary security for working with innovative machines, so that they do not have to constantly cope with new protocols,’ he said.


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