EtherCAT-enabled next generation Baggage Handling Systems

Communication networks are essentially the backbone of industrial automation systems such as Baggage Handling Systems (BHS) and are experiencing technological transition from traditional fieldbus to Real-time Ethernet (RTE). EtherCAT is evolving into one of the fastest RTE protocols due to its unique “processing on-the-fly” characteristic. This paper presents how EtherCAT can be the key technology for the innovative next generation BHS. Network performance indices such as communication delay and cycle time are analyzed and discussed in comparison with fieldbus to illustrate the applicability of EtherCAT in BHS. A case study of baggage handling application is given to demonstrate the advantages of EtherCAT-based architecture.