Top 10 hot technologies in the industrial automation industry!

01

Intelligent instrumentation

In the control system, the instrumentation is its constituent element, and its technological progress is developed with the development of the control system technology. At present, control theory has developed to a new stage of intelligent control, and the intelligentization of automated instrumentation has become inevitable.

The intelligence of instrumentation is mainly attributed to the development and application of microprocessor and artificial intelligence technology. For example, the use of intelligent technologies such as neural networks, genetic algorithms, evolutionary calculations, and chaos control enables instruments to achieve high-speed, high-efficiency, multi-function, high-maneuverability and other performance. Another example is the use of fuzzy inference technology with fuzzy rules to make various types of fuzzy decision-making on various fuzzy relationships of things. For another example, the use of software to implement signal filtering, such as fast Fourier transform, short-time Fourier transform, wavelet transform, etc., is an effective way to simplify the hardware, increase the signal-to-noise ratio, and improve the dynamic characteristics of the sensor; also, make full use of artificial neural network technology Powerful self-learning, self-adaptation, self-organization capabilities, associative and memory functions, and black box mapping characteristics between the input and output of nonlinear and complex relationships, etc.

At present, the weakest and most in need of development in my country's intelligent field are basic industries such as instruments, meters, and sensors. With the rapid development of science and technology and the continuous improvement of the degree of automation, my country's instrumentation industry will also undergo new changes and obtain new development. High-tech instrumentation products, especially intelligence, will become the mainstream of instrumentation technology and industry development in the future. Intelligent instrumentation based on the theory of intelligent control currently has the following developments:

① Expert controller

Expert control system (ECS) is a typical knowledge-based control system. It is a program system with a large amount of specialized knowledge and experience. It uses artificial intelligence technology and computer technology to perform reasoning and judgment based on the knowledge and experience provided by one or more experts in a certain field, simulate the decision-making process of human experts, and solve complex problems that require human experts to solve well.

② Fuzzy controller

Fuzzy controller (FC-FuzzyController), also known as fuzzy logic controller (FLC-FuzzyLogicController). Because fuzzy control technology has the ability to deal with uncertainty, inaccuracy and fuzzy information, it can effectively control the controlled process that cannot be built into a mathematical model, and can solve some problems that cannot be solved by conventional control methods. Therefore, fuzzy control is in The field of industrial control has been widely used.

③ Neural network controller

The application of neural network in industrial control system improves the information processing ability of the system and improves the intelligence level of the system. The so-called neural network control, or neural control for short, refers to the use of neural network technology to model complex nonlinear objects, or act as a controller, or optimize calculation, or perform inference, or fault diagnosis.

It should be noted that in the field of intelligent instrumentation, whether it is neuron network, fuzzy control or chaos control, although Chinese scholars have published many articles, there are not many rigorous and independent innovations and achievements. Some high-end instruments and meters still need to be imported from abroad.

02

Networked control system

The control system of the 21st century will be a system that combines network and control. The research on Networked Control System (NCS) has become one of the frontier topics in the current automation field. As the communication network is embedded in the control system as a system link, this greatly enriches the industrial control technology and methods, and makes the automation system and the industrial control system have major changes in the architecture, control methods, and human-machine collaboration methods. At the same time, it also brings some new problems, such as the coupling of control and communication, time delay, information scheduling methods, distributed control methods, and failures.

The emergence of these new problems makes the control methods and algorithms of automatic control theory in the network environment need continuous innovation. With the continuous development of computer technology, communication technology and network technology. The traditional field of control is undergoing an unprecedented change and is beginning to develop towards networking. The structure of the control system has evolved from the original CCS (Computer Centralized Control System) to the second generation of DCS (Distributed Control System) to the popular FCS (Field Bus Control System). The requirements for large data volume and high-speed transmission such as images and voice signals have given birth to the combination of industrial Ethernet and control networks. This wave of industrial control system networking integrates many popular technologies such as embedded technology, multi-standard industrial control network interconnection, wireless technology, etc., thereby expanding the development space of the industrial control field and bringing new development opportunities.

Promoting industrialization with informatization is not only a powerful guarantee for maintaining the sustained and rapid development of the national economy, but also an important means for the structural transformation of the traditional industrial system. As a representative of information technology, network technology combined with industrial control systems will greatly improve the level of control systems, change the relatively closed corporate information management structure of existing industrial control systems, and adapt to the needs of modern enterprise integrated automation management. Network technology has promoted the transformation of traditional industrial control system structure.

Integrating fieldbus, Ethernet, interconnection of various industrial control networks, embedded technology and wireless communication technology into the industrial control network, while ensuring the original stability and real-time requirements of the control system, it also enhances the system’s performance Openness and interoperability improve the adaptability of the system to different environments. In today's economic globalization, this industrial control system network and its composition model enable enterprises to adapt to unprecedented fierce market competition, help speed up the development of new products, reduce production costs, improve information services, and have broad development prospects. .

03

Industrial communication wireless

The wirelessization of industrial communication is also a hotly discussed issue in the current automation field. Industrial control companies have gradually realized that wireless technology will be the basis for the next technological take-off, which will greatly improve factory efficiency and ensure user safety.

With the increasing popularity of wireless technology, various suppliers are providing a series of software and hardware technologies to assist in adding communication functions to their products. The communication standards supported by these technologies include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS (Global Positioning System), 5G, and WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). However, when adding wireless networking functions, the choice of chips and related software (assuming the selected implementation can work normally and meet the relevant demonstration requirements) may be extremely challenging. Even if a feasible design is made, if performance, power consumption, cost and scale are not optimized, it may not be successful in the market. Today's hottest things are not necessarily the best communication standards and what customers need. Therefore, the selected software and hardware implementations should have such characteristics: each new generation of products does not need to be completely adapted from scratch.

The trend of wireless technology entering the industrial field is unquestionable, especially when wired cannot be used, it appears that wireless has advantages. However, this requires the perfection of the performance of the wireless technology itself, and the performance of reliability, communication certainty, real-time, and compatibility needs to be strengthened. Therefore, in the near future, industrial wireless technology will still be an extension of traditional wired technology, and most meters and automation products will have embedded wireless transmission functions. International research on wireless technology is still in its infancy, and related standards are also being formulated. my country's scientific research institutions are also participating in it. This has promoted the development of wireless technology in my country's process industry to a certain extent.

As wireless technology is still in the stage of research and development and continuous improvement, the functions are limited after all. Moreover, in the field of automation technology, there is no recognized and proven wireless technology standard for real-time control, which is particularly prominent when the working cycle time is very short. Therefore, the current application of wireless technology can only be limited to data collection and monitoring (SCADA).

But with the enhancement of reliability, wireless technology will have a wider range of applications. Wireless communication will grow rapidly in the next few years, but wireless will not replace wired communication. Wired has stability, reliability and security and will not disappear. Wireless can only replace wired solutions where it is inconvenient to implement or costly. If wireless and wired are combined organically, the two parties will give full play to their respective advantages and provide new solutions for increasing productivity. Wired communication is used where it is suitable for wired communication, and wireless communication is used where it is suitable for wireless communication. Since both wired and wireless communication support the TCP/IP protocol, these two communication methods can be combined organically to give full play to their respective strengths and Increase productivity.

04

Internet of Things and Automation

Today, the Internet of Things can be said to be one of the terms that has the highest appearance rate in major media and is closely related to "intelligence". From the perspective of "management, control, and intelligence", the Internet of Things and industrial automation are in the same line. Industrial automation includes collection, transmission, and calculation. The Internet of Things is comprehensive perception, reliable transmission, and intelligent processing. The two are Communicating.

The Internet of Things only places more emphasis on wireless, mass interviews, and intelligent computing. The Internet of Things and automation technology are closely related. The difference between the two is: "Traditional automation networks are mostly realized through wired networks, and the network connection range is narrow, while in sensor networks, wireless networks have become the main transmission path, and the connection range is wider." By nature, it is natural for industrial automation manufacturers to seek opportunities for the development of the Internet of Things.

Application areas of the Internet of Things, such as: the application of Internet of Things technology in logistics, supply chain, warehousing management systems; the application of Internet of Things technology in industrial product production, tracking, progress monitoring, quality tracking, etc.; Internet of Things technology in valuable commodities , Dangerous goods supervision, tracking and anti-counterfeiting application system; Internet of Things technology in large conferences, high-level meetings and important conferences electronic documents, large-scale events, concerts, scenic spots and other personnel express delivery areas of electronic tickets (such as: Shanghai World Expo) Application; the application of the Internet of Things technology in traffic tolling, the long-distance automatic identification and management of various types of vehicles; the application of the Internet of Things technology in the automatic identification, recording, positioning and query of the personnel in the area; the application of the Internet of Things technology in the animal and food industry chain The full-process retrospective application of the Internet of Things; the Internet of Things will be used in various fields such as agriculture, disaster relief and rescue; the application of the Internet of Things technology in the management of valuable assets and important assets; the application of the Internet of Things technology in the entire process of brand clothing; the Internet of Things The application of technology in the field of books; the application of Internet of Things technology in the fields of military firearms management, personnel management, vehicle management, material management, security and confidentiality; the application of Internet of Things technology in aviation, automobiles and other fields; the application of Internet of Things technology in the retail industry Application; the application of Internet of Things technology in the field of social security; the application of Internet of Things technology in the field of smart cities; and short-distance communication technologies: zigbee chip, zigbee communication module, zigbee network, GPS, RTLS real-time positioning system, Bluetooth technology, UWB ( Ultra-wideband) technology and application; EPC (product electronic code) network: EPC labeling, EPC middleware, EPC server, EPC public service platform, EPC network; sensor network, mobile communication network, global positioning network and other related application networks, business Intelligent analysis software system and so on.

The "Internet of Things" subverts the traditional thinking that humans’ previous physical infrastructure and IT infrastructure are completely separated, and effectively connects physical facilities such as roads and buildings with personal computers, mobile phones, home appliances, transportation facilities, and IT facilities, making the government Management, manufacturing, social management, and people's personal lives are fully interconnected.

From the perspective of the industrial chain required by the Internet of Things, the automatic control, information sensing, and radio frequency identification required by the Internet of Things belong to its upstream technologies and industries, while the downstream is the application of the Internet of Things. Some industry experts even think: "The traditional industrial automation field is actually part of the Internet of Things." Calling on industrial automation manufacturers to become the real promoters of the Internet of Things. As the integration point of informationization and automation, the Internet of Things has unlimited potential and advantages. Some units are keenly aware of the potential of the Internet of Things in the optimization of management processes and production processes, and have achieved preliminary results. The traditional automation network is very similar to the sensor network in the Internet of Things.

05

Cloud computing and automation

Argonne National Laboratory

Cloud computing is the development of distributed processing, parallel processing, and grid computing, or the commercial realization of these computer science concepts. Its core is the storage and calculation of massive data, with special emphasis on the application of virtualization technology. In short, cloud computing is a supercomputing model that relies on the internet, which links huge resources together to provide users with various IT services.

For example, the cloud computing model will bring about tremendous changes in the automation software industry in the future. There are:

① The architecture of the automation system will be more flexible, and the distributed architecture will be expanded to a larger scope.

In modern large-scale industrial automation and informatization projects, the system has become increasingly large and complex, and the existing network and system architecture can no longer cope with these challenges calmly. The proposal of the revolutionary concept of cloud computing completely broke the original rigid system structure in the automation system. In the cloud computing system, the automation and information system is not simply running on a fixed computer, but running on the entire network including the Internet, based on the entire network to allocate system resources and realize each Kind of function.

② The analysis and processing of massive information will become a routine function of automation software.

In modern large-scale automation projects, the amount of automation information data is increasing, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "massive". Therefore, the types of databases, data storage modes and data reading and query modes currently used in automation software are currently being carried out around the accurate and timely processing of large amounts of data. The processing of massive information has become one of the bottlenecks restricting the development of automation software.

In the era of cloud computing, users can use the computing capabilities of different hardware platforms and networks at different levels, and can easily use services (SaaS), platforms (PaaS) and computing hardware and network resources (IaaS) in the "cloud" , Fully integrate the computing power of the public network, make the analysis and processing of massive automation and informatization information a reality, meet the needs of large-scale application systems, and at the same time realize the control of complex automated informatization systems.

③ Completely change the engineering development model.

In the era of cloud computing, the development of engineering projects will no longer be restricted to a single computer. The SaaS model allows users to directly use the software on the automation software supplier’s server to develop through the Internet. The development process is carried out in the cloud computing network and the development is completed. After that, just generate a project that can be run directly.

④ Transform the service mode of software suppliers and reduce maintenance costs.

The cloud computing model will also reduce the service cost of software vendors. In the past, software vendors needed to provide technical support and maintenance for automation software running in various hardware and software environments, but in the cloud computing era, they only need to maintain a set of software on the server.

⑤ Reduce the hardware requirements of the automation system and improve the software