ABSTRACT
Few developments have changed the face of automation as profoundly as the introduction of networks did. Especially, fieldbus systems—networks devised for the lowest levels of the automation hierarchy—had an enormous influence on the flexibility and performance of modern automation systems in all application areas. Fieldbus systems comprising communication networks and devices would likely be called embedded networks or networked embedded systems. In the automation pyramid, fieldbusses actually populate two levels: the field level and the cell/process level. Historically the youngest root of fieldbus systems, but certainly the one that left the deepest mark was the influence of computer science. As the development of fieldbus systems was a typical “technology push” activity driven by the device vendors, the users first had to be convinced of the new concepts. The final step to establish the fieldbus in the automation world was international standardization.
