Gateways
Gateway devices are available for the integration of existing fieldbus components (e.g., CANopen, ) into networks. Also, other protocols can be used in conjunction with EtherCAT: the Ethernet frames are tunneled via the EtherCAT protocol, which is the standard approach for Internet applications. The EtherCAT network is fully transparent for the Ethernet device, and the real-time characteristics are not impaired, since the master dictates exactly when the tunneled transfers are to occur and how much of the 100Mb/s media the tunneled protocols can use. Therefore, all Internet technologies can also be used in the EtherCAT environment.
Figure 5-55: Fieldbus Gateway
See Also