IO Lists/Device IO List/
Device IO List for Multiple Fieldbuses Architecture
Device IO List for Multiple Fieldbuses Architecture
1.
General Description
IO Listsare created and uploaded by the user, and they have an essential role in the PLC creation. Based on the information they provide, PLCCreator creates the PLC hardware configuration together with signal to IO module assignment, and corresponding PLC tags with their addresses and/or tag aliases.
The device IO list for Multiple Fieldbuses Architecture has 8 columns where the user provides device information:
On the Figure 1 below is shown an example device IO list for Multiple Fieldbuses Architecture:
The columns in each row are linguistically interpreted as follows:
The signals of the device identified with "Name", whose device type and signals are determined by "Library Block" from the "Asset Library", shall be wired in the PLC rack of the "Hardware Platform". This rack exclusively contains signals from the devices that are labeled with the specified "Group". Further, this rack shall be connected to the fieldbus via "Comm Protocol" and this fieldbus exclusively contains the racks that contain signals from the devices that are labeled with the specified "Fieldbus".
Based on the information they provide the above columns can be categorized into 3 groups:
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Fieldbus Creation Columns- these include"Fieldbus"and"Comm Protocol".
The information from these columns determines how many fieldbuses will be created and which communication protocol will be implemented on them.
For every distinct (unique) combination of the "Fieldbus" and "Comm Protocol" columns in the device IO list, PLCCreator will create a separate fieldbus with the specified communication protocol.
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Rack Creation Columns- these include"Hardware Platform"and"Group".
These columns are inherited from the Device IO List for Single Fieldbus Architecture and the information they provide determines how many racks will be created and from which hardware platform, within each fieldbus created by "Fieldbus Creation Columns".
For every distinct (unique) combination of the "Hardware Platform" and "Group" columns, within each fieldbus, PLCCreator will create a separate rack with the specified hardware platform and associate the block signals from the devices that have this specific combination of the "Hardware Platform" and "Group" columns. Further this rack will be connected to the fieldbus that has the specific combination of the "Fieldbus" and "Comm Protocol" columns.
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IO Module Creation Columns- these include"Name", "Description", "Asset Library"and"Library Block".
These columns are inherited from Device IO List for Single Rack Architecture and the information they provide is processed in the similar way, providing similar outputs:
- Creation of IO modules within each rack created by "Rack Creation Columns". The IO modules are determined by the signal type of physical signals of the library block specified with "Asset Library" and "Library Block" columns.
- Generation of PLC tags based on the details provided in the "Name" and "Description" columns and library block physical signals set and assign them to the respective IO modules with proper tag address and/or tag name.
- Creation of asset object as an instance of the library block and associate its signals, both physical IO and parameters, with it.
More information for thecolumn descriptionandcolumn requirementscan be found in the further text.
The IO List Templates and examples can be downloaded either from theDownloadssection below or from theIO List Templatesdownload page.
2.
Column Description
Name
The device name should be same with its name from the "Instrument Index", alternatively from P&ID, or similar document provided by the control system design documentation. If it is user created it shall contain concise information about device purpose or assignment. During the PLC generation, the device name is concatenated with the name of the physical library block signals to create a PLC tags names for this device.
For example, if you have a pressure transmitter with the name PT-101 and you are using the "fbIO_AnalogInput" library block from"Siemens Open Library", the device name "PT-101" will be concatenated with the physical AI signal"wInValue", resulting in a PLC tag named "PT-101_wInValue" in the PLC tag table.
Description
The device description should provide additional details such as the device's purpose, location, etc.
Asset Library
This column references an asset library registered on My Asset Libraries page.
In other words: this shall be the name of the asset library that has the library block specified in the "Library Block" column.
Library Block
This is the essential column in the device IO list. It references a library block from the asset library specified in the "Asset Library" column. This block needs to be registered on My Asset Libraries page also.
As mentioned earlier, from this information PLCCreator finds the "Block Signals" table that is associated with the library block and creates the IO modules as described in the device IO List processing .
There are 2 signal groups in the "Block Signals" table:
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Physical IO- these signals need to be wired in the PLC IO modules and they can be any electrical signal type supported by PLCCreator, like: DI_24VDC, DO_24VDC, AI_4-20mA etc. During PLC generation the physical signals are instantiated in the PLC IO modules forming PLC hardware configuration.
Physical signals are shown with bold font in theBlock Signalstable.
You can find more detailed information for the signal types and their compatibility with the different hardware platforms onCompatibility Between Signal Types and Hardware Platforms.
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Parameters- these signals are only used by the asset object (the library block instance) in the PLC logic as input/output variables. They do not affect the PLC hardware configuration. On the other hand, Physical IO signals are used both in the asset object and the PLC hardware configuration.
Users may provide parameters initial values when selecting the library block for asset objects generation on Asset Objects page . They are data type based: Bool, Int, Real, String, TON_TIME, Time, HW_IO, HW_SUBMODULE, HW_ANY and Byte. For any User Defined Type - UDT the "UDT_User_Defined_Type" is used.
The library block has an essential role in our Asset Oriented Programming - AOP support which is implemented through the Asset Objects page.
If you select a library blocks for asset objects generation, we will provide you a compiled PLC project with instantiated library blocks in the logic with exact physical IO signals assignment and with data blocks having the initial values of the parameters you have set. This feature is available for the library blocks that have status "PLC Block" or "HMI Block" on My Asset Libraries page and only for TIA Portal software platform.
The PLC hardware configuration is available for download right after PLC generation foranylibrary block registered on My Asset Libraries page that has physical signals, regardless of its status.
Fieldbus
This refers to the name given to a set of the devices whose signals will be wired to the PLC racks that are connected to the separate fieldbus exclusively. This implies that one PLC fieldbus can contain PLC racks that contain device signals from one fieldbus only. The fieldbus name is user defined on My Fieldbuses page, and can represent a location, production line, plant area or any other relevant grouping criterion.
For example, if you have devices that are spread across 2 plant facilities and plan to integrate them via separate fieldbus for each facility, you could set the fieldbus for the devices from the first facility as "Facility1" and those from the second facility as "Facility2".
Before generating the PLC on theGeneratepage, you will be asked to choose theMain Rack Fieldbus and Main Rack Groupthat will host the CPU module and become the "Main Rack"
Comm Protocol
This refers to the name of the communication protocol (such as CC-Link-IE-Field, EtherNet/IP, Profinet etc.) that will be used for the above specified fieldbus.
You can find the list of supported communication protocols and their compatibility with the supported hardware platforms in the sectionCompatibility Between Communication Protocols and Hardware Platformson the "Hardware Platforms" page.
Hardware Platform
This refers to the name of the rack hardware platform (such as Simatic ET200MP, ET200SP, Mitsubishi i-QR etc.) where the device signals should be wired to.
The hardware platform for the device, does not necessarily have to be the same as the CPU hardware platform. Depending on your application, you can have multiple hardware platforms in the devices IO list. For example, you can wire the device signals from the main cabinet to the ET200MP platform, while those from the distributed field cabinets, that have limited space, can be wired to the ET200SP platform.
Group
This refers to the name given to a group of devices, whose signals shall be wired to the separate PLC rack exclusively. This implies that one PLC rack can have device signals from one group only. The group name is user defined on My Groups page, and can be a location, machine, production line, or any other relevant grouping criterion.
For example, if you have devices that are spread across 2 floors and plan to integrate them via remote IO racks on each floor, you could set the group for the devices from the first floor as "Floor1" and those from the second floor as "Floor2".
Before generating the PLC on the Generatepage, you will be asked to choose Main Rack Fieldbus and Main Rack Group to host the CPU module and to become "Main Rack".
3.
Column Requirements
In Table 1 are listed data processing requirements for each column of the Device IO List for Multiple Fieldbuses Architecture.
All requirements need to be satisfied in order for PLCCreator to process this IO list.
| Column Name | Required | Unique | Requirements | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Required | Unique |
Max length:
32
Allowed characters:
A-Z, a-z, 0-9, _
|
||||||||
| Description | Optional | - |
Max length:
256
Max length for Simatic Manager:
80
Allowed characters:
A-Z, a-z, 0-9 and single _ . -
|
||||||||
| Asset Library | Required | - |
"Asset Library" must be present in the "Asset Libraries" table on My Asset Libraries page. |
||||||||
| Library Block | Required | - |
"Library Block" must be part of the above "Asset Library". It must be present in the "Library Blocks" table on when the above asset library is selected. |
||||||||
| Fieldbus | Optional | - |
The "Fieldbus" field is user-specified and must be registered on the fieldbuses table on My Fieldbuses page. If no fieldbus is specified, the default fieldbus "f1" will be assigned. On theGeneratepage, you can even assign this fieldbus as Main Rack Fieldbusto host the PLC "Main Rack". |
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| Comm Protocol | Optional | - | |||||||||
|
To specify the "Comm Protocol", choose an option from the drop-down selection list of the "Comm Protocol" column entry in the IO list template. If pasting data in this column, ensure that pasted column entry can be found in this selection list. 
Before/during filling out the devices IO list, make sure that the selected communication protocol is compatible with the hardware platform of the CPU specified on theCPU Datapage. You can perform this check in the sectionCompatibility Between Communication Protocols and Hardware Platformson the "Hardware Platforms" page. It is also possible to not specify a Comm Protocol. In such cases, the CPU default communication protocol will be selected:
| |||||||||||
| Hardware Platform | Optional | - | |||||||||
|
To specify the "Hardware Platform", choose an option from the drop-down selection list of the "Hardware Platform" column entry in the IO list template. If pasting data in this column, ensure that pasted column entry can be found in this selection list. 
Before/during filling out the device IO list, make sure that the selected hardware platform is compatible with the fieldbus protocol you have specified in the "Comm Protocol" column. You can also perform this compatibility check in the section Compatibility Between Communication Protocols and Hardware Platformson the "Hardware Platforms" page. It is also possible to not specify a hardware platform. In such cases, the CPU hardware platform specified on the CPU Datapage will be selected. |
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| Group | Optional | - |
The "Group" field is user-specified and must be registered on the groups table on My Groups page. If no group is specified, the default group "g1" will be assigned. On the Generatepage, you can even assign this group asMain Rack Groupto host the CPU module, becoming a "Main Rack". |
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4.
Example of Multiple Fieldbuses Architecture
Let's take a simple use case example of the process system that has devices found in 2 separate locations: "Location1" and "Location2". It is required for the devices in "Location1" to be integrated with the "ET200MP" hardware platform. For "Location2" there are devices that need to be wired in the cabinet by using "ET200MP" and there are also devices that need to be integrated through cabinetless hardware "ET200Pro".
Further, it is required the racks from the different hardware platforms to be integrated via separate fieldbuses named "Fieldbus1", "Fieldbus2" etc., regardless of their location.
The expected PLC hardware configuration shall have 3 remote IO racks as follows:
- One ET200MP rack located in "Location1" and connected on "Fieldbus1"
- One ET200MP rack located in "Location2" and connected on "Fieldbus1"
- One ET200Pro rack located in "Location2" and connected on "Fieldbus2"
The table below provides an example device IO list for the above use case example. To improve visibility, we have color-coded the devices belonging to each rack with green, blue, and yellow, respectively.
| Name | Description | Asset Library | Library Block | Fieldbus | Comm Protocol | Hardware Platform | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System1_PT_0101 | Pressure transmitter System1 | Siemens Open Library | fbIO_AnalogInput | Fieldbus1 | Profinet | ET200MP | Location1 |
| System1_FT_0101 | Flow transmitter System1 | Siemens Open Library | fbIO_AnalogInput | Fieldbus1 | Profinet | ET200MP | Location1 |
| System1_FCV_0101 | Flow Control Valve System1 | Siemens Open Library | fbValve_Analog | Fieldbus1 | Profinet | ET200MP | Location1 |
| System1_PT_0103 | Pressure transmitter System1 | Siemens Open Library | fbIO_AnalogInput | Fieldbus1 | Profinet | ET200MP | Location2 |
| System1_FT_0103 | Flow transmitter System1 | Siemens Open Library | fbIO_AnalogInput | Fieldbus1 | Profinet | ET200MP | Location2 |
| System1_FCV_0103 | Flow Control Valve System1 | Siemens Open Library | fbValve_Analog | Fieldbus1 | Profinet | ET200MP | Location2 |
| System2_PT_0101 | Pressure transmitter System1 | Siemens Open Library | fbIO_AnalogInput | Fieldbus2 | Profinet | ET200Pro | Location2 |
| System2_FT_0101 | Flow transmitter System1 | Siemens Open Library | fbIO_AnalogInput | Fieldbus2 | Profinet | ET200Pro | Location2 |
| System2_FCV_0101 | Flow Control Valve System1 | Siemens Open Library | fbValve_Analog | Fieldbus2 | Profinet | ET200Pro | Location2 |
The above device IO list results in the PLC configuration shown in Figure 2 below, assuming the user has selected the "Fieldbus1" as "Main Rack Fieldbus" and "Location1" as Main Rack Groupto host the CPU and to become "Main Rack". The small lists near each rack show the devices associated with that rack. As we can see, the device distribution across the racks matches the uploaded device IO list.
5.
Downloads
Device IO List Template Multiple Fieldbuses.xlsx
Example Device IO List Multiple Fieldbuses Siemens.xlsx
The device IO list shall be saved as a.csvfile, in order to be uploaded on the Upload IO Devices page.
