MTConnect is an open and extensible protocol designed for the exchange of data between shop floor devices and software applications. MTConnect allows manufacturers to facilitate retrieval of information and data from factory devices, such as machine tools, sensors, and controllers. Currently, MTConnect users read data from sensors through proprietary sensor interfaces using adaptors. The suite of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1451 standards defines a set of open, common communication interfaces for sensor networks, including both sensor interfaces and network interfaces.
This paper proposes an integration architecture of MTConnect with IEEE 1451 standard-based sensor networks. In the architecture, MTConnect plays a network interface role in the IEEE 1451 standard-based sensor networks via an MTConnect Agent. An adaptor is used to provide the mapping between the MTConnect Agent and the IEEE 1451 sensor network. A prototype system integrating MTConnect with IEEE 1451.2-based sensor network has been developed. Two case studies are provided to illustrate the integration.
Understanding the IEEE 1451 standard in 6loWPAN sensor networks
