Manufacturers for factory automation, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and motor control are challenged to implement a wide variety of protocols to support different end user requirements. Using Intel's highly integrated FPGAs and SoCs, easy-to-use development tools, and off-the-shelf intellectual property (IP), you can quickly develop products that are first to market, flexible, and cost effective.
Intel® FPGA based Industrial Ethernet Solutions provide the connectivity for seamless integration of legacy industrial Ethernet. We offer solutions for all industrial Ethernet standards available today. These connectivity solutions allow customers to build complete industrial systems on the FPGA combining connectivity with customers’ applications in a single device. FPGAs provide the flexibility that allows customers to overcome the fragmentation of industrial standards while delivering best-in-class performance and determinism.
Demo video taken at SPS 2019 of Arrow's Industrial Ethernet bus system implemented with an Intel® Cyclone® 10 FPGA. Showcases low cost Cyclones for industrial protocols that can be enhanced with security and additional features.
Intel's Connectivity Solutions Offer:
Protocol |
Provider |
Supported Device(s) |
|---|---|---|
TTTech |
Cyclone® V SoC |
|
Softing |
Cyclone® IV, Cyclone® V SoC, Arria® II |
|
Softing |
Cyclone® IV, Cyclone® V SoC |
|
Softing |
Cyclone® IV, Cyclone® V SoC |
|
Softing |
Cyclone® IV, Cyclone® V SoC |
|
Softing |
Cyclone® IV, Cyclone® V SoC |
|
Softing |
Cyclone® IV, Cyclone® V SoC |
Industrial Ethernet with Softing and Intel
To make it easier to add industrial Ethernet to your design, Intel and Softing Industrial Automation GmbH provide an out-of-the-box solution with no up-front license fees, no per-unit royalty reporting, and no protracted negotiations.
Simply download an entire industrial Ethernet protocol including the software stack from Softing.
Three Steps to Design for Multiple Industrial Ethernet Protocols
You can use the same hardware for all the protocols listed below from PROFINET to Ethernet/IP to EtherCAT. You must purchase a security CPLD from Intel to enable any one protocol at a given time.
Protocol Downloads
Download the protocol(s) including the intellectual property and associated documentation package from the download tab at the bottom of Softing's web page.
Note: Customer must become a member of the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) to use EtherCAT (membership is free). This provides a member identification number that must be input to the IP before compiling.
Production System Licensing
Intel and Softing enable you to quickly incorporate Industrial Ethernet into your product. Licensing is tracked using an external Security CPLD that unlocks the protocol IP loaded into the FPGA at boot time. For product development and protocol evaluation, the IP will function without the CPLD for several minutes and then time out. The Security CPLD is not required for pre-production activities.
The Security CPLD:
Cyclone® IV |
Cyclone® V |
Cyclone® V SoC |
|---|---|---|
The eXware707T is a rugged and compact device designed as a powerful IoT Controller and Gateway. It provides step in functionality compared to the eXware707 and eX707Q thanks to the 4 Ethernet ports with a TSN switch and to the powerful CPU based on Cyclone® V FPGAs. Speaking across the vast library of JMobile protocols as well as OPC UA to higher enterprise level control, the eXware is a true Plug and Use product.
Demo video taken at SPS 2019 showcasing NEC's new low-latency networking technology, Wireless ExpEther, on an Intel® Cyclone® V FPGA. The video demonstrates Wireless ExpEther's stable and low-latency performance versus conventional WiFi.