In today's era of rapid development of industrial automation, Industrial Personal Computer (IPC) as the core equipment of industrial control system, plays a crucial role. In this paper, we will analyze and discuss the definition of IPC, hardware structure, working principle, main categories, application areas and future development trends.
I. Definition of industrial computer
Industrial computer is designed specifically for the industrial environment of computer technology, and traditional office computers are different, industrial computer not only has a strong measurement of data processing capabilities, and in extreme industrial environments operate efficiently. Industrial environments are often accompanied by high temperatures, low temperatures, dust, vibration, and electromagnetic interference and other factors, which requires industrial controllers have a high degree of anti-interference and durability. In short, the industrial computer is the brain of industrial automation control, is to promote a variety of production process control key equipment.
II. Hardware structure of the industrial computer
The hardware system of industrial control machine consists of motherboard, CPU, memory, hard disk, display, I/O interface card, industrial power supply, chassis and so on. Different from ordinary computers, industrial control machine hardware generally use industrial components, can work stably in high temperature and high humidity environment.
Motherboard: The motherboard is the core component of the industrial computer, which integrates various interfaces and slots for connecting other hardware devices. The design of the motherboard of the industrial control machine is generally very simple, with a variety of expansion slots and sockets for different types of I / O modules and communication modules.
CPU: The CPU is the processor of an industrial computer, responsible for executing computer instructions and controlling the operation of the computer. A high-performance processor can ensure the fast response and efficient operation of the industrial control machine when dealing with a large amount of data and complex control instructions.
Memory: Memory is used to store data and programs required for computer operation, and the size of its capacity directly affects the operating speed and performance of the industrial computer.
Hard disk: The hard disk is used to store the operating system and applications of the industrial control machine, as well as production data and logs and other information.
Graphics card: Graphics card is used to control the display of the monitor to display the image and text information processed by the computer.
I/O interface card: industrial computer is generally configured with a variety of communication interfaces, including serial port (RS232/RS485), Ethernet interface, USB interface, etc., suitable for on-site equipment communication and transmission of data.
Industrial power supply: industrial control machine power supply design usually has redundant backup role to prevent the energy demand caused by the end of the run.
Chassis: industrial computer chassis design takes into account factors such as anti-drop, anti-vibration, can be in some high-load, high-pressure environment for efficient operation, significantly improving the service life of the equipment.
III. The working principle of the industrial computer
The working principle of the industrial computer can be simply understood as data collection, processing, operation and export three processes.
Data collection: industrial computer through a number of sensors and equipment, the external parameters (such as temperature, humidity, pressure, etc.) into digital signals for real-time collection.
Data Processing: The ICPC processes the collected information according to the embedded control system and generates control codes.
Operation export: control code based on the output interface transmission to the implementation of equipment, such as motors, gate valves, pumps, etc., for the automatic control of industrial processes.
IV. The main categories of industrial controllers
Industrial computer according to the application requirements and different installation environments, can be divided into the following major categories:
Embedded industrial control machine: Embedded industrial control machine is usually computer hardware, software, operating system and application software integrated together to form a compact, dedicated computer system. They are usually characterized by small size, low power consumption, high reliability, etc. They are suitable for application scenarios with strict space requirements and high real-time requirements.
Industrial desktops: Industrial desktops are similar to regular commercial desktops, but utilize higher-quality, industrial-grade hardware and components for greater resistance to interference and durability. They typically have higher performance and scalability for complex industrial automation control systems.
Rack-mounted industrial controllers: Rack-mounted industrial controllers are usually installed in standard 19-inch cabinets and are highly integrated and scalable. They are usually used in large-scale industrial automation systems, such as data centers, traffic control systems and so on.
DIN-rail industrial controllers: DIN-rail industrial controllers are usually installed on DIN rails and are characterized by small size and easy installation. They are usually used for monitoring and control tasks in industrial sites.
Embedded Boards: Embedded boards are specially designed computer motherboards that are usually used in embedded systems. They are highly integrated and flexible and can be customized according to application requirements.
Industrial Tablet PCs: Industrial tablet PCs combine the features of tablet PCs and industrial controllers with touch screens, high-performance processors, and high-capacity storage. They are typically used in application scenarios that require human-computer interaction and complex control.
Special application industrial controllers: Special application industrial controllers are industrial controllers that are customized according to specific application scenarios and needs. They usually have unique functions and features to meet the needs of specific industrial environments.
V. Application areas of industrial controllers
Industrial controllers are widely used in industrial automation, intelligent manufacturing, Internet of Things and many other industries, and have become an important force in promoting industrial development.
Manufacturing: In the manufacturing industry, industrial controllers are used to control the operating status of production lines and supervisory equipment, to collect data and guidance, and to ensure the efficient and effective operation of the production process. Actively collaborate with PLC, along with robots and other equipment, industrial controllers can accomplish accurate production management, material compounding, equipment failure warning and other tasks.
Highway traffic: in the field of transportation, industrial control machine is widely used in traffic signal control, monitoring system, road condition analysis, intelligent traffic management and so on. Based on rapid data processing and real-time control, industrial controllers can realize traffic flow scheduling, reduce the rate of traffic accidents, and improve the efficiency and safety of urban transportation.
Energy management: in the electric power, petroleum, natural gas and other energy industries, industrial computer for energy production, transportation, storage and other data real-time monitoring, remote control and fault warning. According to the control system of the industrial computer, the energy industry can realize the automatic management of equipment, improve energy utilization and prevent waste.
Automated warehousing: In the automatic storage system, industrial control machine is commonly used in the management of goods storage, in and out of the warehouse operation, automatic robot handling and other work. Closely matching the bar code identification machine, RFID, integrated robotics and other equipment, industrial computer can realize automatic management, reduce labor costs, improve work efficiency.
VI. The future development trend of industrial control machine
With the rapid development of science and technology, industrial controllers are also developing, and gradually towards more efficient, more intelligent, more flexible aspects of development.
Combination with the Internet of Things: With the popularization of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, industrial controllers will pay more attention to the combination with the Internet of Things. Based on sensor networks, cloud platforms, data analysis and other technologies, industrial controllers are able to collect and analyze a lot of industrial data in real time to improve the level of intelligent manufacturing.
Application of Artificial Intelligence: the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in industrial control machines will play an important role, especially in data mining, predictive maintenance and other aspects. The introduction of AI algorithms facilitates ICMs to not only handle real-time dynamics, but also make intelligent decisions to further optimize the production process and save costs.
Introduction of Edge Computing: Edge computing is a distributed computing architecture that leads the measurement level to the edge of the network. Industrial controllers play an important role in this trend, based on on-site data processing and analysis, reducing the delay in transmitting data and improving response speed. Edge computing can also improve data processing efficiency, reduce network bandwidth pressure, and promote industrial control machine as soon as possible to adapt to the ever-changing working environment.
Integration and modular design: With the diversification of industrial regulations, the future of industrial control machine will pay more attention to integration and modularization. This design can not only save costs, but also according to the different needs of customers to carry out flexible configuration.
Improvement of performance and efficiency: With the industrial manipulation of automation on the performance and efficiency of computing needs continue to improve, the future of industrial control machine will find a better balance in the characteristics of efficiency. Selecting more advanced processors and battery management technology, industrial control machine can not only solve larger-scale data, but also save resources and consumption, reduce the impact on the environment.
Application of high-speed network technology: With the development of high-speed network technology such as 5G and Wi-Fi 6, the networking capability and data transfer rate of industrial controllers will be greatly improved.
Green design: With the improvement of global environmental protection awareness, industrial control machine will move towards the green aspect of development. In the future, the industrial computer will take more energy-saving, more environmentally friendly design to reduce environmental pollution and energy consumption.
VII. Summary
As the key hardware of industrial automation control, the importance of the industrial computer is self-evident. With the continuous progress of technology, the use of industrial controllers in various industries will be more extensive, its performance and structure will continue to improve. For enterprises, picking high-performance, stable performance industrial controllers will be an important step in improving productivity, saving costs, and conducting intelligent manufacturing. In the future development, industrial control machine will not only continue to be the industrial control of the "brain nerve", but also with the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, 5G and other technologies closely linked to promote industrial manipulation automation to a higher level.
Through the above comprehensive analysis of industrial controllers, we can see that industrial controllers are not only the core equipment for industrial automation control systems, but also an important force for industrial development. In the future, industrial controllers will continue to play its advantages, and the depth of the integration of emerging technologies, for the development of industrial automation to inject new vitality.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)