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WiHART Development Kit
WirelessHART (WiHART) is a wireless network implementation of the HART communications protocol standard developed by the HART Communications Foundation (HCF). WiHART uses the same message and command structures as wired, 4-20 mA HART devices which are widely used in industrial applications. It is specifically designed to leverage wireless standards and provide robust and reliable wireless communications in a tough industrial environment.
Yes. The HCF is comprised of a variety of companies who have agreed to develop and publish the HART protocol and help certify that products developed can successfully interoperate.
WiHART is built on standard IEEE 802.15.4 radios which operate on the 2.4GHz ISM frequency. 802.15.4 radios are available from a variety of global semiconductor manufacturers.
WiHART supports star, mesh, and star mesh networks in order to support a variety of applications requirements.
WiHART networks have four main components:
The Network Manager controls the formation of the network, controls how devices join the network, how messages move through the network, provides ongoing monitoring of the Network, and handles security policy.
Gateways connect the WiHART network to another system (for example, the control infrastructure in a plant). It understands WiHART messages on one side and another network on the other side and provides a means to manage and translate messages moving between the networks.
Network Access Points (NAPs) are where WiHART networks "start". They communicate with the network of wireless devices as well as the gateway and network manager. Many gateway devices integrate the NAP, the network manager, and the gateway functionality into a single physical device.
Field Devices connect process devices such as sensors and transmitters and can also function as routers within the network to help create a mesh for diversity and reliability.
Yes. WiHART uses channel hopping, time synchronized communication and fully redundant data paths via mesh networking all the way down to the level of individual devices in order to improve the reliability of the wireless network.
Channel hopping continually changes the portion of the 2.4GHz unlicensed spectrum being used for communications. All the devices agree on a pattern for using a set of channels and using specific channels at predetermined times in order to reduce the effect of any interference (e.g. other radios) or changes in the RF environment (such as multipath reflections). This strategy helps eliminate any threats to reliable communication.
In-Mesh is STGs implementation of the WirelessHART field devi e software protocol.
WiTECK, the Wireless Industrial Technology Konsortium, is a group of companies that have gathered together to create an implementation of the WiHART protocol for their own use. By coming together, WiTECK members have helped insure the interoperability of their WiHART products and helped insure cost effective development of the software.
The founding members of WiTECK are Airsprite, Emerson, Endress and Hauser, Freescale Semiconductor, Pepperl and Fuchs, Siemens, Software Technologies Group. Additionally, ABB, Cooper Industries and Softing are now members.
Yes. Visit the WiTECK website at http://www.witeck.org for more details.
Full members in WiTECK share in the intellectual property created by WiTECK, including the first WiTECK project, the WirelessHART stack. Such members have source code access to the WirelessHART stack as well as royalty free rights for distributing binary derivatives so long as the are embedded in their physical products.
You do not need to be a member of the WiTECK to have access to the WiTECK WirelessHART stack because you can obtain access to that through WiTECK’s licensing agent.
STG is the developer of the WiHART software and the official licensing agent of WiTECK. We provide licenses, support and development services related to the WiTECK sponsored products.
No. By working with STG, product developers can get access to WiTECK sponsored products with the overhead expense of participation in WiTECK.
Yes, since WirelessHART contains the IP of many contributing members, royalty free licenses to IP needed to implement a WirelessHART stack.Membership in the HCF provides access and rights to use that IP.
Note that the HCF membership only provides rights and does not provide an implementation; you will either have to implement the standard itself or license an implementation such as In-Mesh.
On an ARM7 processor for example, In-Mesh is approximately 70KB total (code and data). Software for the infrastructure devices such as Gateways, NAPs, and Network Managers are still under development and final sizing has not yet been released. These devices will typically be implemented on larger and more powerful computing platforms so code sizing is less of an issue.
In-Mesh is initially on the Freescale MC13224 PiP (Platform in a Package which includes and ARM7 processor and an integrated 802.15.4 radio) as well as on the JM series of ColdFire V1 processors.
In-Mesh is available now! Please contact us for more details.
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Contact us at 708.547.0110 or at sales@stg.com to see how we can help today.