ISA-100.11a Wireless Standard for Industrial Automation Approved
September 11, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
The International Society of Automation (ISA) approved ISA-100.11a - Wireless Systems for Industrial Automation: Process Control and Related Applications.
ISA-100.11a is meant to provide reliable and secure wireless operation for non-critical monitoring, alerting, supervisory control, open loop control and closed loop control applications.
According to ISA, the standard defines the protocol suite, system management, gateway and security specifications for low-data-rate wireless connectivity with fixed, portable and moving devices supporting very limited power-consumption requirements.
ISA-100.11a supports monitoring and process control where latencies on the order of 100 ms can be tolerated, with optional behavior for shorter latency.
"To meet the needs of industrial wireless users and operators, the ISA-100.11a standard provides robustness in the presence of interference found in harsh industrial environments and with legacy non-ISA-100 compliant wireless systems," said ISA-100 co-chair Pat Schweitzer of ExxonMobil.
The standard addresses coexistence with other wireless devices anticipated in the industrial workspace, such as cell phones and devices based on IEEE 802.11x, IEEE 802.15x, IEEE 802.16x and other relevant standards. The standard considers the interoperability of ISA-100 devices.
The ISA-100 committee addresses wireless manufacturing and control systems in areas including:
- Environments where wireless technology is deployed.
- Technology and lifecycle for wireless equipment and systems.
- The application of wireless technology.
ISA-100.11a will be submitted to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for approval as an ANSI standard and to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for consideration as an IEC standard.
Source: International Society of Automation (ISA).