Mr. Taxer, the X90 Mobile control and I/O system is based on the technology of your X20 family. What are the differences between the systems?

Taxer: The X90 Mobile system was developed as a hardware platform for the much more critical environmental conditions on mobile machines. In other words, all X90 modules comply with IP69K and cover a temperature range between -40 and +85 °C and specifically meet the standards of the agricultural and construction machinery world. The system is also GL-certified for use in offshore installations.

Why do you think previous automation concepts in mobile automation are outdated and what makes your control system different?

Taxer: Basically, the requirements for automation solutions in mobile machines have risen rapidly in recent years - and this trend will continue in the coming years. This makes it all the more important to provide mobile machine manufacturers with a system that relieves them of basic tasks such as writing and programming interface drivers. In future, they must be able to devote more of their R&D resources to machine processes and the development of new competitive advantages. Mobile machines need a standardized automation system that combines all components and all tasks under one roof.

Key point interface: You say that the CAN network established in this sector in particular is now outdated.

Taxer: Don't get me wrong: we are not against CAN, on the contrary: B&R continues to support this established interface. But in order to simplify CAN network architectures that have become very complex in the meantime and to provide the basis for new functions on the machine, we rely on the open Ethernet-based Powerlink protocol. In combination with the X90 mobile system, this enables, among other things, a centralized software approach, which makes the management of decentralized software versions obsolete. This drastically simplifies software management and also the replacement of sensors and decentralized I/O nodes in the event of servicing.

By using Powerlink in combination with the openSafety protocol, it is also possible to transmit process data, visualization data, camera signals and safety-relevant data up to performance level e on a bus system in real time. As Powerlink is a pure software protocol based on the Ethernet standard 802.3, commercially available Ethernet hardware is used.

The automotive industry is currently working intensively on establishing TSN - Time Sensitive Networking. Are you already looking at this extension of standard Ethernet? If so, when can we expect to see the first control systems based on it?

Taxer: We are actively involved in the development of TSN and are gaining experience with the technology in the TSN testbed of the Industrial Internet Consortium, or IIC for short. Together with companies such as Cisco and National Instruments, we will be testing how the extension of the Ethernet standard IEEE 802.3 to include Time Sensitive Networking can be used in an industrial environment in combination with OPC UA.

You promise your customers that they will save an average of 67% time in software engineering if they use the X90 system. How do you justify this leap in efficiency?

Taxer: The majority of innovations in modern automation systems are no longer to be found in the hardware, but in the available tools and software functionalities. What's more, regardless of the industry, the requirements for the automation system are always the same: visualization, control, data exchange, safety, security, cloud communication, reusability of application software, diagnostics and so on. Users of the X90 system benefit 100% from our experience and innovative solutions in all these areas. This brings us to Mapp Technology: this is a modular software kit that enables enormous time savings in the creation of machine software. Modular software components cover the basic functions of every application. Recipe systems, alarm systems, file handling etc. no longer need to be programmed separately. In addition, all Mapp components are connected to each other and exchange data automatically. This saves many hours of tedious programming work. Last but not least, it reduces susceptibility to errors and simplifies maintenance and commissioning. Furthermore, all drivers, for example for CAN, J1939 and ISOBUS, are available and do not have to be integrated manually.

Can you give us a practical example of the cross-industry use of software modules?

Taxer: A somewhat more complex example is the task of kinematically calculating an excavator arm in order to be able to move the bucket tip automatically and safely. The process of smoothing an earth wall is a challenge even for experienced excavator operators. And as experienced personnel are becoming increasingly rare in the construction industry, technical support for this process is a realistic application. B&R provides a mapp component for the implementation of this application - which to date has required a great deal of engineering effort - that only needs to be parameterized with the excavator arm data to achieve the same result. The know-how for this comes from robot applications, such as those used in automotive production lines.