Promoting the BISS interface sustainably

Posital has received certificates of conformity for its family of kit encoders with BiSS C interface.

These encoders are designed for installation in motors or drives and provide position feedback to the control system over single or multi-turn operating ranges. "We are enthusiastic supporters of open-source, non-proprietary communication standards such as BiSS," comments Jörg Paulus, head of Posital's European business and a founding member and honorary board member of the BiSS Association e.V. "We are confident that our BiSS commitment, as well as offering products certified to BiSS protocol standards, will sustainably promote the further use of this versatile and cost-effective interface technology."

The BiSS Association e.V. is a non-profit user group that promotes the development and use of the open source BiSS communication protocol suites. It has initiated a certification process for devices using this interface technology. "BiSS protocols have become very popular in the world of 'machine-to-machine' communications," Paul reports. "Given this growing popularity, it is critical that implementations of the technology from different manufacturers meet high standards for compatibility and interoperability." Paulus continues, "The certification process is designed to help manufacturers verify that their products meet these requirements, while assuring customers that the devices they buy will work together seamlessly."

BiSS stands for 'Bisynchronous Serial' and offers several sets of communication protocols, including BiSS C for real-time operations and BiSS Line for single-cable implementations. These are designed to enable efficient communication between digital devices such as servo motors and drives for industrial motion control systems. They are non-proprietary and based on an open source approach. Licences can be obtained free of charge from the BiSS Association.

The new certification process is designed to give manufacturers flexibility in implementing these protocols while ensuring that they meet high standards for interoperability. The certification covers master units (controllers) and slave units (servo motors, sensors, actuators) in control systems. The verification tests are carried out by Arteson, a company specialising in system integration and testing. Manufacturers whose devices pass the certification tests receive certification documents and permission to use a special "BiSS Certified" logo.