PROFIBUS and PROFINET International (PI) has specified over a dozen PROFINET Application Profiles. Application Profiles are an additional layer above the PROFINET protocol. A PROFINET product that supports one or multiple Application Profiles offers further functionality besides the standard PROFINET capabilities.
The most commonly implemented PROFINET Application Profiles are PROFIsafe for functional safety, PROFIenergy for energy management, and PROFIdrive for interoperable drive devices. This post will expand on the last one.
PROFIdrive Application Profile
Automation environments may require a variety of drive components for certain tasks. The tasks performed by drives and, thus, the requirements for drive technology vary considerably, depending on the industry or application. These include:
- Simple drives with fixed or variable speed, such as pumps, fans, and compressors, and drives for transport tasks
- Single-axis positioning controllers for applications such as moving, adjusting, and positioning
- Multi-axis servo drives with central interpolation, such as those found in printing, milling, and packing machines
PI recognized the importance of drive devices and introduced the PROFIdrive Profile for drives, encoders, motors, and their applications. PROFIdrive provides interoperability through standardized drive I/O data sets, messages, and parameter sets as well as manufacturer-specific options to foster competition and innovation. It ensures vendor-neutral and interoperable drive devices by using a consistent drive interface.
To implement this Application Profile, the user must select the appropriate components: a PROFIdrive controller and PROFIdrive device(s). PROFIdrive aims to simplify drive configuration and parameterization tasks with a consistent drive interface. The interface is available in the engineering tool and will be consistent regardless of the manufacturer. Also, in some cases, the controller gives you the option to employ the PROFIdrive standard interface or the vendor’s original interface for configuration.
Application Classes
The PROFIdrive Application Profile provides the foundation for almost every drive task in the field of industrial automation engineering. It defines the device behavior and the process for accessing drive data of electric drives on PROFINET and also optimally integrates the additional PROFIsafe and PROFIenergy Profiles. The way drives are integrated into automation solutions is heavily dependent on their class. For this reason, this profile defines six application classes that cover the entire drive application range.
With the following link, you can download the Full PROFINET Application Profile White-Paper:
PROFINET Application Profiles: PROFIsafe, PROFIenergy, PROFIdrive
-Nelly Ayllon