Glossary · Motion control and drives
PROFIdrive
Also known as: PROFIdrive profile, PROFIdrive drive profile
German: PROFIdrive
In industrial communication, PROFIdrive is the drive profile of PROFIBUS & PROFINET International that defines device behavior, standard telegrams, a state machine and parameter access for electric drives on PROFIBUS and PROFINET. It is included in IEC 61800-7 as one of the standardized drive profiles.
- Motion control
- Standards
In one sentence
PROFIdrive is the drive profile for PROFIBUS and PROFINET: standard telegrams, state machine and parameter access for drives.
Example
A PLC controls frequency inverters from different manufacturers with PROFIdrive standard telegram 1 (control word and speed setpoint).
How it applies
- Engineering: PROFIdrive defines application classes, from simple speed control to positioning and clock-synchronous motion. Standard telegrams and the control/status word state machine make drives from different vendors interchangeable at the communication level.
- Commissioning: The telegram type configured in the controller must match the one set in the drive. Parameters are accessed through the profile's parameter channel.
- Operation: Fault and warning information is available in standardized form, which helps diagnostics.
- Documentation: Document which telegram and application class the machine uses and map control and status bits in a table. Safety functions over the network are handled by PROFIsafe, a separate profile; don't imply that PROFIdrive itself carries safety functions.
PROFIdrive vs. PROFINET
PROFINET is the communication technology (protocol). PROFIdrive is an application profile on top of it that defines what the data mean for drives, a data model rather than a protocol.