Testbed to verify interoperability among heterogeneous devices with OPC UA

Abstract

Recently, in the manufacturing industry, many people have tried to lower production cost and secure a flexible production system for customers’ demands using the Industrial Internet of Things. One of core components to establish the Industrial Internet of Things is interoperability among heterogeneous devices, and OPC UA (OPC Unified Architecture) is receiving much attention as a communication standard to realize it. However, it is hard for customers to select a proper solution because OPC UA has been developed by various companies and organizations, with varying functions and levels of realization. This study conducted a comparative analysis on major commercial solutions and open sources used to realize OPC UA, and identified supported core functions and level of their realization. Also, this study established a testbed to realize an OPC UA devices using different commercial solutions and open sources, and interlocked industrial devices and environment sensor, etc. to verify interoperability among heterogeneous devices with OPC UA.