Yokogawa Electric Corporation has announced the development of CENTUM VP R6.01, an enhanced version of its integrated production control system, and its release in February 2015. R6.01 marks the first step in the development of an all-new CENTUM VP that will play a central role in company's VigilantPlant strategy for the IA business. The adaptive evolution of the new CENTUM VP focuses on addressing customers' needs to keep up with the fast pace of change in the business landscape and technology while delivering maximum return on assets and the lowest total cost of ownership.

This first R6-level release of the CENTUM VP system represents much more than conventional functional improvements. R6 brings together smart engineering, advanced operation, system agility, and sustainable plant. With R6, plant operators can be assured of an optimum engineering environment that spans the entire plant lifecycle, from plant design and the engineering and installation of systems and devices to the start-up of production, maintenance, and renovation.

In addition, it is designed to meet the most stringent industry requirements for safe and reliable plant operations and environmental protection. R6.01 features expansion of company's lineup of I/O devices an introduces crucial new control system components. Combined with an intuitive engineering environment, it reduces the time required to configure and install a control system.

Features include: N-IO, or Network-IO, a field I/O device with a versatile I/O module that can handle multiple types of I/O signals; FieldMate Validator; and Automation Design Suite, or AD Suite. Control systems rely on field I/O devices for the transfer of data to and from sensors, valves, and other types of field instruments. Using this data, they automatically control a plant's operations.

Depending on instrument models, the type of electric signal used to transfer this data varies. With Yokogawa's current FIO device, a compatible I/O module is needed for each signal type. The N-IO, a new CENTUM VP field I/O device, fulfills the functions of universal I/O and a signal conditioner, enabling configurable software and flexible I/O assignment.

It has an I/O module that accommodates multiple I/O signal types, accepts up to 16 I/O points, and allows specification of an individual signal type for each point. Both analog and digital I/O signals, which account for the majority of I/O signal traffic, can be handled solely through software settings. Pulse and relay I/O signals can be managed by using additional adaptors.

With the N-IO, it is no longer necessary to replace the I/O module, reducing the amount of rewiring that must be done when changing sensor types and/or layouts during a plant revamp. This significantly reduces the amount of work that has to be performed by plant engineers and maintenance personnel.