At NAMUR's Annual General Meeting in Bad Neuenahr, Germany, FDI Cooperation, LLC announced the first public release of the Field Device Integration (FDI) specification and a demo of the FDI developer toolkits, both of which will make it possible for automation suppliers to prepare for developing products and host systems compatible with FDI. As part of the release, the FDI specification and the latest Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) specifications are being handed over to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for the next important phase - the Committee Draft for Vote - in the international standardization process. FDI will be included in the emerging standard IEC 62769.
At the core of the FDI specification is the FDI Device Package that includes everything a host system needs to integrate an intelligent device. With FDI, each device is represented by a single FDI Device Package that can scale according to the complexities and requirements of each device.
Each FDI Device Package contains a mandatory Device Description (EDD) that provides parameter definitions, structure for the parameters for context specific views, and automated work processes for device procedures such as calibration. FDI Device Packages may also include User Interface Plug-Ins, software components that support advanced device setup and diagnostic functions. Product manuals, documentation, images, electronic certifications and other attachments may also be delivered in the FDI Device Package.
