AS-Interface is the intelligent automation solution for

below the fieldbus level. With the system sensors and

actuators from different manufacturers can be net-
worked through an only cable. The open structure to
other levels is the basis of a professional, trend setting
system-solution.

The yellow AS-Interface cable has become the trade-

mark of AS-Interface. It transmit energy and data
together. With the penetration technique Click and
Go field-devices can be mounted possible at any posi-
tion in the network. Rampant cable harness and volu-
minous switch cabinets belongs herewith the past.

With the huge product range of over 260 suppliers

worldwide, AS-Interface offers solutions for integration
of sensors and actuators in almost all automation-net-
works.

AS-Interface has developed to the international market

leader in the lower field-level by his simplicity and eco-
nomic efficiency. The worldwide acceptance of the
AS-Interface system is documented in million fold
AS-Interface system installations.

This compendium is engaged to give a deep knowledge

of the AS-Interface system. It works out the theoretical
bases and contains concrete praxis knowledge.

Developers, Designers and Users get detail-information

about targets, attributes, handling, innovations and
possible fields of applications of the system.
Published by:
AS-International Association
Rolf Becker (CEO)

Authors:
Rolf Becker, Dr. Bernhard Mller, Dr. Andreas Schiff,
Tilman Schinke, Heinz Walker

This work is copyright protected.

All rights reserved, including those for translation, reprinting and reproducing
of this book or parts there of. No portion of this work may be reproduced or
processed by means of electronic systems, duplicated or disseminated in any
form (photocopy, microfilm or any other process), including educational pur-
poses, without express written consent.

2002 AS-International Association

Internet: www.as-interface.net
Grafik: MILANO Medien GmbH, Schweinfurt
Druck: Druckerei WEPPERT GmbH & Co. KG, Schweinfurt
Printed in Germany
 3. The AS-Interface Technique 3.2 AS-Interface communication system

Highlighting 3.1.5 Limitations 3.2 AS-Interface communication system

the doable: The Actuator-Sensor interface was intentionally conceived and
What works. What optimized for use below the fieldbus systems described earlier. 3.2.1 AS-Interface in the ISO/OSI reference model Intelligently
doesnt. What works Some features of the higher fieldbuses are either not realizable in Like all fieldbuses, AS-Interface can also be categorized in the ISO- communicated:
with what. conjunction with AS-Interface or can be implemented only with OSI reference model with its seven layers. Data exchange and
limitations. Here is what the user should know: In AS-Interface only three of the seven layers are implemented, power supply over the
because 2-wire transmission
The amount of data transmitted using AS-Interface is limited. because no meshed structures are supported where alternate system.
4 bits per slave can be communicated per cycle. Longer mes- communication connections have to be made (Level 3 omit- Direct contact to the
sages can be sent by dividing them over multiple cycles. This ted), actuators and sensors
is completely adequate for slowly changing parameters such no network transport interfaces are implemented (Level 4 through the slaves.
as temperature and level, but does not allow AS-Interface to omitted), Master controls
be used in highly dynamic control loops. Communicating the stations are constantly connected, so there are no session the data.
several bytes of diagnostic and parameter data over functions (Level 5 eliminated) and
AS-Interface is no problem, but carrying out a program the data do not have to be interpreted or encrypted (Level 6
download or similar is not practical. eliminated).

The access procedure is specified as a single master system The three implemented layers are the Physical Layer, the Data Link
with cyclical polling of the slaves. There is noprovision for Layer and the Application Layer (Fig. 3.4).
event controlled data transmission or data cross-communica-
tion from slave to slave. Physical Layer
The physical layer is hardware-oriented and deals with all aspects
An AS-Interface network can be up to 100m without the use of establishing and maintaining a physical link between communi-
of repeaters. This is a physical limit and was a compromise cating partners.
settled on during development as a result of the required
cable structure (unshielded 2-conductor cable), topology fle- Data Link Layer
xibility, the targeted cycle time and the number of stations, as The data-link layer is one layer above the physical layer. Its concern
well as the elimination of terminating resistors at the cable is packaging and addressing data and managing the secure flow
ends. This value is more than sufficient for the main intended of transmissions.
applications of AS-Interface and it can, if required, be signifi-
cantly increased by the use of repeaters. Application Layer
This layer defines the commands, data contents, sequence of the
AS-Interface cycle and the behavior of the stations, for example
when replacing a slave while the system is running (Hot Swap or
Live Insertion).

52 53
 3. The AS-Interface Technique 3.2 AS-Interface communication system

Transmission system
ISO-OSI-Layer Function AS-Interface
This system consists of the AS-Interface 2-wire cable which con-
Providing the network Message, cycle, profiles, nects the slaves to each other and to the master in freely selecta-
7: Application
service to the user automatic addressing
ble topologies, the energy (power) supply and the data decoup-
Transformation of network
6: Presentation ling. Both data traffic and the power distribution are handled on
formats to user formats
this 2-wire transmission system.
Log on and off of the
5: Session
connections
Data preparation for Slave
4: Transport network transport interfaces The slave uses Interface 1 to create the sensor/actuator side, the
Address preparation, connection to the sensor or actuator, wherethe AS-Interface is
3: Network direction of data ways configured so that the slave function can be fully integrated into
Data structure, frame, Data telegram, start and the sensor/actuator.
2: Data Link protection, error handling end bit, parity, error handling
Mechanical and electrical Cable, power supply,
Master
1: Physical connection for information data decoupling, APM
transmission The master uses Interface 3, the control side, to create the con-
nection to the host system, which in turn consists of a PLC, a PC
Fig. 3.4: The ISO-OSI reference model or a coupler to a higher-level fieldbus system. In addition the
master controls the entire data traffic over the transmission system
The AS-Interface System consists, as shown in Fig. 3.5, of several and assumes responsibility for the necessary management func-
hardware components that are connected to each other and to tions.
the environment. These components include the transmission
system, the slaves and the master. The AS-Interface standard describes Interface 2 as a transmission
system fully and completely. All the conditions necessary for data
and power transmission are specified and all the functions for data
Control unit SPS, PC, ...
(CPU, Speicher) and parameter transmission, addressing and identification or sta-
Interface 3:
Control side tus polling of the slaves are defined

AS-Interface Master
In the standard cited, Interface 1 is described only conceptually,
Interface 2:
Transmission system with its specific realization left to the product manufacturer.
Energy Data
supply decompling Profiles, which describe the most common slave types, are used for
a more precise description of how the functional interchangeabili-
AS-Interface Slave AS-Interface Slave ty of the products from various manufacturers is ensured.
Interface 1:
Sensor/Aktua-
tor side
Due to the wide variety of structures that a host system can embo-
Modul elements Sensor/Aktuator
dy, Interface 3 is also described only conceptually. The specific rea-
S/A S/A S/A S/A
lization is determined by the implementation in a PLC, PC or field-
bus coupler.
Fig. 3.5: AS-Interface components and interfaces [25]

54 55
 3. The AS-Interface Technique 3.2 AS-Interface communication system

Among the other components of AS-Interface, which are used There are two electrical considerations involved in the selection of
only as needed, are repeaters, which allow an extension of the the suitable transmission medium; the DC resistance for power
cable length to over 100m; ground fault detectors as well as transmission and the transmission characteristics in the frequency
addressing and service devices which can be used for assigning range that is used for communication. At least 2A should be able
addresses to slaves and in case of a fault provide quick problem to be transmitted for powering the slaves.
diagnostics. Assuming
a cable length of 100m,
62 slaves evenly spaced along the cable,
3.2.2 The Physical Layer all slaves having the same current requirement on average so
that a total current of 2A flows,
Ingeniously 3.2.2.1 The AS-Interface cable the result is a maximum voltage drop between the feed point of
wired: Two different 2-conductor unshielded cables were specified as the the power supply and the terminal point of the last slave which
The AS-Interface cable transmission medium for AS-Interface. One is a flexible high volta- depends on the selected conductor cross-section as shown in the
as ideal solution and ge cable conforming to CENELEC or DIN VDE 0281, designated table:
possible alternatives. H05VV-F 2X1.5, which is very inexpensive and easily obtainable.
The other is an AS-Interface specific flat cable with very similar
electrical properties, but with the additional installation characte- 0,75 1,5 2,5
ristics described in Section 3.5. The transmission media otherwise 52,0 26,6 16,0
found in fieldbus systems (e.g. twisted pair 2-conductor cable,
coaxial cable, fiber optic cable) are not suitable for simultaneous 5,4 2,7 1,6
transmission of data and power, are complicated to install or are
too expensive. Since actuators with a permissible voltage tolerance of 24V
+10%/-15% can be connected on Interface 1 of the slave and
AS-Interface + R/4 L/4 L/4 R/4 AS-Interface + since a technically feasible voltage tolerance must be allowed for
the power supply, a maximum permissible voltage drop for the
C G` cable of 3V and a conductor cross-section of 1.5mm2 (AWG 16)
was specified for the cables. This solution should cover the vast
AS-Interface R/4 L/4 L/4 R/4 AS-Interface
majority of practical applications. In cases that deviate greatly from
the above assumptions, a thorough analysis of the power distribu-
tion and voltage conditions at the remotest point in the network
should be carried out.

From a purely technical point of view, other conductor cross-sec-

Fig. 3.6: AS-Interface cable model and limits tions in a range from 0.75mm2 to 2.5mm2 (AWG 18 to AWG 14)
could be used. This makes the use of special cables possible, such
as in applications where motion cables are required or where hig-
her currents are demanded.

56 57
 3. The AS-Interface Technique 3.2 AS-Interface communication system

The other aspects in selecting the AS-Interface transmission cable The transmission properties of the AS-Interface cable, especially
have to do with the cable properties in the transmission frequency the impedance curve over the frequency, which is critically defining
range. These can be described by the cable models shown in for the transmission behavior, are shown in Fig. 3.7. You can see
Fig. 3.6. Shown are the maximum ratings that must be met by any that both lower as well as higher frequencies up to 167kHz are
proposed cable. strongly attenuated, which has a very positive effect on the beha-
vior of the AS-Interface system especially when it comes to asym-
140
metrical interference.
120

100 3.2.2.2 Penetration technique and power supply Quickly

80 The bus cable for AS-Interface is the familiar unshielded and non- connected:
twisted pair, 2-conductor flat cable which transports data and Direct slave connec-
60
slave power and which was a centerpiece of the development pro- tion to the network
40
ject. The outer jacket is yellow and it features a geometrically with modular
coded cross-section. It represents the electromechanical basis of technology and
IZI Ohm

20

0 AS-Interface. Since the location of the conductors is fixed in the special design of the
0,01 0,03 0,1 0,3 1,0 3,0 10 cable and there is no shield to worry about, the cables can be easi- AS-Interface cable.
f [MHz] ly connected with no polarity reversal issues (Fig. 3.8). .

Fig. 3.7a: Transmission properties of the AS-Interface cable. The cable does not have to be split or stripped, nor does it need a
Impedance curve with data decoupling and 30 slaves [25] shield attached. (Even a normal 2-conductor cable has four con-
ductor ends when it is split which have to be attached! These
cause additional voltage drops and are potential sources of poor
contacts).
10mm

4mm
A

0
0,01 0,03 0,1 0,3 1,0 3,0 10
f [MHz]
Fig. 3.8: The AS-Interface flat cable (The Yellow Cable)
Fig. 3.7b: Transmission properties of the AS-Interface cable.
Frequency spectrum of a typical master poll [25] Most slaves (integrated slaves and modules) get their operating
power directly from the AS-Interface network. If this is insufficient,
58 59
AS-Interface is the intelligent automation solution for
below the fieldbus level. With the system sensors and
actuators from different manufacturers can be net-
worked through an only cable. The open structure to
other levels is the basis of a professional, trend setting
system-solution.

The yellow AS-Interface cable has become the trade-

mark of AS-Interface. It transmit energy and data
together. With the penetration technique Click and
Go field-devices can be mounted possible at any posi-
tion in the network. Rampant cable harness and volu-
minous switch cabinets belongs herewith the past.

With the huge product range of over 260 suppliers

worldwide, AS-Interface offers solutions for integration
of sensors and actuators in almost all automation-net-
works.

AS-Interface has developed to the international market

leader in the lower field-level by his simplicity and eco-
nomic efficiency. The worldwide acceptance of the
AS-Interface system is documented in million fold
AS-Interface system installations.

This compendium is engaged to give a deep knowledge

of the AS-Interface system. It works out the theoretical
bases and contains concrete praxis knowledge.

Developers, Designers and Users get detail-information

about targets, attributes, handling, innovations and
possible fields of applications of the system.