Inter-communication between Programmable Logic Controllers using IoT technologies: A Modbus RTU/MQTT Approach

Abstract: Internet of Things (IoT) can be widely used in various applications such as manufacturing industry,achieving high operational efficiency and increased productivity.The exploitation of IoT paradigm made more feasible the use of distributed control systems (DCS) where more than one PLCs implement an industrial application.In case of having more than one PLC,it is obligatory to ensure their inter-communication.In this paper,a solution for PLCs' communication using Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) IoT-protocol is presented.An experimental industrial plant was used,controlled by two PLCs.For the process' implementation,two Siemens gateways Simatic IoT2020 were integrated and communicated with the PLCs through Modbus Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) industrial protocol.Finally,data exchange between the two gateways was established using MQTT protocol.