Device Integration Approach to OPC UA-Based Process Automation Systems with FDT/DTM and EDDL

Manufacturers and distributors alike are seeking better ways to more efficiently manage the assets of their operators. Advances in communication technologies and standards are now making them easier and more cost justifiable to deliver information from measurement instrumentation as well as manage these instrumentation assets more efficiently. Today's technologies such as Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and Field Device Toot (FDT) are available for device integration. This paper introduces a flexible device integration approach to achieving the advantages of both such technologies for the device management to new OPC Unified Architecture (UA)-based process automation systems. This approach is suitable riot only for the process automation industry. but also for the factory automation industry. Visibility of and access to field device information through the OPC standards, FDT, and EDDL contribute to efforts to improve the life cycle management of process plants and associated distribution operations.