Making FDT development more efficient [field device tool]
K. Hubschle · Computing & Control Engineering Journal · 2004
The FDT (field device tool) standard defines component-based software architecture for the configuration of field devices in fieldbus-connected systems. The beauty of FDT is that different manufacturers can use it in any engineering system, according to the plug-and-play-principle. Within the FDT software architecture, a DTM (device type manager) software element represents a single field device or a group of similar devices. FDT 'containers' are applications, which integrate these DTMs and utilize their functions. The principle advantages of FDT are derived from the use of a widely accepted industrial standard, such as COM. Some of the many advantages are the smooth visual integration, the individual design of the user interface, the support of complex validation mechanisms, and also the fast acceptance of the standard in the market. We show how a COM based standard like FDT can be transferred to .Net technology.