EtherCAT*, Ethernet for Control Automation Technology, is an open, high-performance but low-cost Industrial Ethernet-based fieldbus system. It was introduced in 2003 and has been an international standard since 2007. The development goal of EtherCAT was to apply Ethernet to automation applications which require short data update times (also called cycle times) with low communication jitter (for synchronization purposes) and low hardware costs.
* EtherCAT® is registered trademark and patented technology, licensed by Beckhoff Automation GmbH, Germany. |