Control in the field
Control in the field (freely translated: control in the field ), CiF for short , is the name of a process control and regulation method in process automation .
In current industrial plants, a process is monitored, controlled and regulated from a control room . The control variables determined by the measuring sensors , such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, are transmitted via a fieldbus to a central control unit (e.g. PLC ), where they are evaluated and a manipulated variable (e.g. for a valve) is calculated and sent on the basis of the specifications this transferred. Since the control unit usually has to control several regulation processes, there can be time delays in the execution of the regulation process. The necessary data transfer to and from the control unit also takes a certain amount of time. This can be a disadvantage for very fast control processes. This is where Control in the Field comes in.
The control process is shifted from a central control unit to the field devices . As a result, a sensor can immediately calculate the manipulated variable for an actuator based on its measured variable and transmit it to it.
The advantages are:
- Faster response times
- Reduction of the data volume on the fieldbus
- Relief of the control system
- Relief of control units
Web links
- "The Business Value Proposition of Control in the Field", whitepaper of the ARC Advisory Group (PDF, approx. 9 MB) Last accessed on December 11, 2009