WILL THE INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET REPLACE TYRE CAN FOR FORESTRY MACHINES?
In this article is brought up an actual question of perspectives of implementation Industrial Ethernet in modern and designed tree harvesting machines. There is given a brief assessment of the considered problem. There is accented attention, in order to be up to the quality of consumer, a technical equipment manufacturer must modernize it in time. Limitations of fieldbuses, as insufficient channel capacity and expansibility, are highlighted. The market attractiveness of Industrial Ethernet for manufacturers and developers of hardware and software is emphasized. There is given a line of main dignities and advantages of implementation solution based on Industrial Ethernet, e.g. independence from equipment maker, flexibility in topology selection, simplicity of troubleshooting and maintenance etc. There are analyzed requirements for network standard, which are most interesting for companies, producing similar equipment. There is produced technologies (СAN/CANopen and one of the most perspective standard from Industrial Ethernet group - EtherCAT) comparison by means of scoring. There are made conclusions about an appeal of this technology in the construction of the new forest machines, as well an upgrading of existing. Prospects of control systems with use both types of networks are reviewed.