7. Conclusions and outlook

Intelligent instruments combined with field networks have revolutionized system automation. Bi-directional digital communication and local processing capabilities make it possible to distribute control and command, providing real resources for real-time production control. This architecture offers an extended view of the process, and therefore more information for engineering and maintenance.

In this sense, the industrial instrumentation market is increasingly featuring intelligent sensors for continuous applications. One of the main reasons for this is that manufacturers of automation systems not only supply sensors and actuators, but also control systems, which naturally solves problems of network selection and therefore interoperability.

Standardization tends to facilitate the development of intelligent sensors and actuators by introducing...