Line coupler

In control technology , a line coupler is an assembly that transfers data from one part of the system to another. This mostly serial transmission takes place optically or via copper cable. The line couplers are also designed redundantly for increased transmission security, such as is used in process control technology or network control technology . The data are transmitted in the form of telegrams . The format of the telegrams is called the protocol . Protocols and telegrams are manufacturer-specific.

Yesterday until today

Manufacturers of control technology ( Siemens AG , ABB , Mauell GmbH ) mostly use proprietary systems to this day . The peculiarities of the systems present a challenge when processing large orders. In power plants, for example, a large number of different systems have to work together. To date, the cooperation of the different systems has been made possible by protocol converters .

Solutions for the future

In recent years, however, manufacturers seem to be relying more and more on standardizing their transmission protocols . The results are, for example, the standardized telecontrol protocols IEC 60870-5-101 and IEC 60870-5-104 and currently IEC 61850 with its object-oriented approach.