
38-1
38.1 Introduction
Ethernet for control automation technology (EtherCAT) [ETG04,ETG05] is a high-performance
Ethernet-based
eldbus
system.
Its
main
development
goal
was
to
apply
Ethernet
to
automation
appli-
cations,
which
require
short-cycle
times
and
low-communication
jitters.
EtherCAT
is
nowadays
a
popu-
lar
solution
for
connecting
control
applications
to
eld
devices
in
industrial
environments,
including
motion-control
applications,
and
communication
equipment
and
devices
can
be
easily
found
o-the-
shelf
[ES
C20].
e EtherCAT protocol is an open standard currently managed by the EtherCAT technology group
(ETG). Its specication ...