Development of a WirelessHART compatible field device

The use of wireless industrial field devices (sensors and actuators) is gradually increasing. The easy installation and repositioning of these devices are the greatest motivators of this tendency. On the other hand, wave propagation phenomena, radio frequency coexistence and energy consumption are inherent difficulties that must be taken into account. The applied wireless communication protocol must cope with these difficulties and avoid or minimize them. In this paper, the WirelessHART protocol is introduced as well as the development of a compatible field device. A data logger software and firmware are developed to test the system. The results are presented at the end and can be used to help in the development of new devices.