Alliance for development of ISA100 Wireless™ communication modules!

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and Yokogawa have announced that they have reached an agreement whereby they will cooperate in the development of communication modules for field wireless devices used in plants. Under the terms of this agreement, Yokogawa will license its technology to Murata and Murata will develop the communication modules.

Through this alliance, Murata will be able to expand its communication module business to wireless devices for use in plants and Yokogawa will be able to promote wider acceptance of its field wireless systems based on the ISA100 Wireless™ standard.

ISA100 Wireless, or ISA100.11a, is an industrial wireless networking technology standard developed by the International Society of Automation (ISA). ISA100 Wireless features high reliability, diverse applications, network extendibility, and high compatibility with wired communications standards such as FOUNDATION™ fieldbus, HART®, and PROFIBUS. This standard will be published as IEC62734 by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) within this year.

Background /overview 
Plants use all kinds of field devices to measure items such as temperature, pressure, liquid level, gas concentration, and vibration. With a field wireless system, communication between field devices and host monitoring and control systems is done wirelessly. To boost productivity and make plants safer, there is a growing need for the collection of more data on plant operations; this in turn is driving up demand for field wireless devices, which can be placed in locations that cannot be accessed by conventional wired devices and cost less to install.

Field wireless devices require communication modules that can convert sensor data into signals that conform with specific field wireless protocols, for transmission to field wireless networks. Through this alliance, Yokogawa will license its ISA100 Wireless communication module technology to Murata for use in the development of wireless communication modules and driver software.

Murata has a solid track record in developing wireless communication modules for use in mobile phones, PCs, and other devices, and Yokogawa has developed a number of leading-edge technologies for use with ISA100 Wireless devices and systems. By making combined use of these technologies, the two companies aim to quickly develop and provide new communication modules to field wireless device manufacturers and sensor manufacturers around the world.

Murata's approach to the communication module business
Murata provides Wi-Fi modules, Bluetooth® Smart modules, and other types of wireless communication modules for use in smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices and for use in automotive applications.

Murata is also developing and providing other types of wireless communication modules as connectivity solutions, in line with the Internet of Things (IoT) initiative. Developing ISA100 Wireless communication modules is one such solution since ISA Wireless has been specified to reflect the requirements of industrial users.

Yokogawa's approach to field wireless communications
Yokogawa released the world's first ISA100 Wireless system devices and wireless pressure and temperature transmitters in July 2010. In addition to enabling sophisticated control techniques in continuous processes, this gives customers a wider range of devices to choose from. In line with the Wireless Anywhere concept, Yokogawa continues to provide new best-in-class ISA100 Wireless solutions and promote the use of field wireless technologies.