In today’s market, advanced testing and manufacturing requirements are common. The ability to reliably collect data, store data, and control applications is the key to success.
The success of an industrial monitoring and control system and ultimately, the product, is affected by several factors, including difficult to maintain hardware and software, long distance networking issues, or remote and harsh environments. Using the new National Instruments FieldPoint 2000 family of industrial distributed I/O controllers, with its advanced intelligence, these limiting factors can be overcome and flexible monitoring and control systems can be created that meet the unique application requirements. By using the FP-2000, users gain the flexibility, reliability, ease of configuration, and open connectivity that can give their process the edge in a competitive market.
The FieldPoint 2000 family of distributed I/O controllers, the newest addition to the NI FieldPoint product line, combines the rugged, industrial nature of FieldPoint with the power and flexibility of the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment. Because the FieldPoint 2000 controllers contain an onboard processor and compact flash memory, the user can perform embedded remote monitoring and machine control. Using LabVIEW realtime, the application can be downloaded onto the controller itself allowing it to run disconnected from the host PC.
Historically, FieldPoint has served manufacturing and test customers as a networked industrial distributed I/O solution. A typical system consists of one or more banks of modules. Each bank contains a network interface module (Ethernet, serial, Foundation Fieldbus, or wireless) and a combination of I/O modules to monitor and control voltage, current loops, discrete signals, relays, thermocouples, RTDs, and more. The banks themselves include a number of features for industrial operation, including 2500 V breakdown isolation for use where dangerous voltage levels are present, a wide temperature range for operation in hostile environments, backup power supply connections to protect against primary power failure, and hot-swappable modules to simplify maintenance and minimise downtime. These systems are networked to a central computer that collects information posted by the network modules, performs calculations and feedback loops, posts outputs to the network modules, and logs historical data. With a rugged, industrial design and using standard networks, FieldPoint I/O systems have gained widespread use in industries such as pulp and paper, water and wastewater, and oil and gas. Using the NI FieldPoint 2000 family of controllers, with dedicated onboard processors, the user can build a robust system that continues to run, even if the network or supervisory computer shuts down.
Distributed intelligence
The user can use the FieldPoint 2000 family of distributed I/O controllers, which includes the FP-2000 and the FP-2010, to achieve rapid development and distribution of a reliable monitoring and control system across their company's enterprise network via Ethernet. Using LabVIEW realtime on the FP-2010, the user can embed a portion of the controlling task next to the signals. This distributed execution takes advantage of parallel processing to streamline performance. Each FieldPoint bank can independently perform calculations, feedback loops, and remote historical data logging.
Integrate networked measurements and control
The FP-2000 family of controllers is well suited for integrated measurement and control applications, such as controlling a manufacturing line. The user can easily distribute intelligent FieldPoint I/O controllers throughout a production line to monitor and control production conditions, such as motor speed, temperature, pressure, and material quantities. The NI FieldPoint system can then relay this information via Ethernet to other sections of the plant to direct later steps of the manufacturing process. With compact, industrial FP-2010 controllers, the user can perform deterministic control adjacent to the monitored signals and share the information with other intelligent nodes, thereby automating an entire manufacturing line using FieldPoint. Each FP-2010 distributed I/O controller also features a serial port that users can utilise to create a remote user interface panel for the process. By directly connecting serial displays and keypads, users gain the ability to monitor and remotely interact with their manufacturing process, without the use of a supervisory computer.
Reliable embedded operation
In addition to its distributed intelligence capabilities, the FieldPoint 2000 family is capable of reliable standalone operation in an industrial environment. After embedding the LabVIEW realtime program on the intelligent FP-2010 distributed I/O node, the user's system can function independently of the supervisory computer. In the event of a network failure, the FP-2010 detects the error and continues executing the embedded program, begins backup monitoring, and resumes network activity after the connection is restored. The user can design other applications, where no supervisory computer exists. One example of such a system is in-vehicle data acquisition in the automotive industry.
Easily log automotive in-vehicle data
For an internal combustion engine to achieve maximum horsepower, the combustion air must remain as cool as possible, while the intake should have as few bends and restrictions as possible. Engine intake ducts can route air from a variety of locations around the engine compartment, ranging from the simplest location, immediately above the engine, to more complex areas, such as beside the radiator. To determine the best location, engineers measure the pressure drop from the ducting and filter, along with the intake air temperature. Because it is necessary to take these measurements while the vehicle is at speed, traditional measurement and data logging solutions are sometimes inappropriate. With the industrial temperature ratings, high-vibration specifications, and compact size of FieldPoint distributed I/O controllers; the user can easily mount a FieldPoint data acquisition system into a vehicle. The FP-2010 distributed I/O controller can log in-vehicle data to the onboard compact flash memory during the test. After each test is complete, the user can easily move their data files to a computer for analysis and report generation via Ethernet or a modem link.
True remote monitoring
Environmental monitoring is another example of standalone data logging. The quality of the analog measurements of FieldPoint distributed I/O, combined with data logging capabilities, make it an ideal solution for environmental monitoring applications. The NIST traceable analog I/O guarantees reliable measurements critical in an environmental or regulatory application. For remote exhaust stacks, the user can collect and store signals such as temperature, humidity, pressure, flow, wind speed, NOx, CO, and opacity in the nonvolatile compact flash memory of FP-2010. The user can also integrate discrete I/O capability to open and close valves for a scrubber if emissions levels cross a critical value. For true remote monitoring stations, the user can use the built-in serial port and Ethernet port to communicate with the supervisory computer via radio modems, global system for mobile communications (GSM), cellular digital packet data (CDPD), or other telemetry methods that suit the application. If the environment requires, the user can also use one of the NEMA-rated enclosures for protection from the elements. In addition, with NI LabVIEW built-in web server capabilities, the user can automatically publish data to the Internet or intranet in realtime.
A complete custom solution
With the NI FieldPoint 2000 family of distributed I/O controllers, the user can take advantage of the user-defined functionality of both software and hardware to deliver the exact solution that their application requires. The user can rapidly develop a measurement and control application on the PC, test its functionality, and then embed this application in a realtime distributed FieldPoint hardware system. The compact size and built-in intelligence of the FieldPoint distributed I/O platform give the user the ability to operate where both space and standalone performance are crucial. In addition, the rapid deployment capabilities of LabVIEW realtime give the user the ability to distribute applications in a fraction of the time. With the FieldPoint 2000 family, the user gains new options for setting up reliable, automated test systems and headless monitoring and control applications.
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