Industrial personal computer (IPC) is an industrial control computer, and it is the general name of tools that use bus structure to detect and control production process, electromechanical equipment and process equipment. Industrial computers have important computer attributes and characteristics, such as computer CPU, hard disk, memory, peripherals and interfaces, operating system, control network and protocol, computing power and friendly man-machine interface. The products and technologies of industrial control industry are very special, belonging to intermediate products, which provide reliable, embedded and intelligent industrial computers for other industries.
Chinese name
Industrial personal computer
Foreign name
Industrial personal computer
full name
Industrial control computer
form
Computer CPU, hard disk, memory
brief introduction
Industrial control computer is called "industrial computer" for short. Comprise a computer and a proces input and output channel. It has important computer properties and characteristics. Such as: computer CPU, hard disk, memory, peripherals and interfaces, real-time operating system, control network and protocol, computing power, friendly man-machine interface, etc. The main types of industrial computers are: IPC(PC bus industrial computer), PLC (programmable control system), DCS (distributed control system), FCS (field bus system) and CNC (numerical control system).
Industrial process control (abbreviation of industrial process control)
That is, industrial computer based on PC bus; According to IDC's statistics IDC 2000, PC has accounted for more than 95% of general-purpose computers. Because of its low price, high quality, large output and rich software and hardware resources, it has been familiar and recognized by the majority of technicians, which is the basis of industrial computer fever. Its main components are industrial chassis, passive backplane and various boards that can be inserted into it, such as CPU cards and I/O cards. Adopt all-steel shell, mechanical clamp filter, double positive pressure fan and EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) technology to solve the problems of electromagnetic interference, vibration, dust, high and low temperature in industrial field.
IPC has the following characteristics:
Reliability: Industrial PC has the ability of rapid diagnosis and ma5 maintenance in dust, smoke, high and low temperature, humidity, vibration, corrosion, etc. MTTR (average timer protection) is generally 5 minutes, and MTTF is more than 654.38+ 10,000 hours. The MTTF of an ordinary PC is only 10000~ 15000 hours.
Real-time, industrial PC can detect and control the industrial production process in real time, respond to the change of working conditions quickly, adjust the acquisition and output in time (ordinary PC does not have watchdog function), and reset itself in case of distress to ensure the normal operation of the system.
Extensibility: Industrial PC has powerful input and output functions due to the backplane +CPU card structure, and can expand up to 20 boards, and can connect various peripherals and boards in the industrial field, such as track controller, video monitoring system, vehicle detector, etc. , to complete various tasks.
Compatibility, can use ISA, PCI and PICMG resources at the same time, and support various operating systems, multilingual assembly and multitasking operating systems.
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
The English full name of PLC is ProgrammableLogicController, and the Chinese full name is Programmable Logic Controller. The definition is: an electronic system for digital operation specially designed for application in industrial environment. It uses a programmable memory to store programs, perform logical operations, sequence control, timing, counting and arithmetic operations and other user-oriented instructions, and controls various types of machines or production processes through digital or analog input/output. Programmable logic controller (PLC) is a digital operation electronic system specially designed for industrial environment applications. It uses programmable memory, which stores instructions for logical operation, sequence control, timing, counting and arithmetic operation, and controls various types of mechanical equipment or production processes through digital or analog input and output.
Programmable controller is a new general automatic control device developed by combining computer technology with automatic control technology, which is suitable for industrial environment and is the replacement product of traditional relay. With the rapid development of microelectronics and computer technology, programmable controller has more functions of computer, which can not only realize logic control, but also have data processing, communication and network functions. Because it can change the control process through software, and has the characteristics of small size, convenient assembly and maintenance, simple programming, high reliability and strong anti-interference ability, it is widely used in various fields of industrial control, which greatly promotes the process of electromechanical integration.
File (short for documents) Distributed Control System (Distributed control system)
It is a series of high-performance, high-quality, low-cost and flexible distributed control system products, which can form various independent control systems, distributed control systems, supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA) and meet the needs of various industrial fields for process control and information management. The modular design, reasonable software and hardware function configuration and easy expansion ability of the system can be widely used in the decentralized control of various large, medium and small power stations, the transformation of power plant automation systems and the control of industrial production processes such as steel, petrochemical, paper making and cement.
Fire Control System (fire control system)
This is an all-digital serial bidirectional communication system. Measurement and control devices in the system, such as probes, actuators and controllers, can be interconnected, monitored and controlled. In the classification of factory network, it is not only used as the local network of process control (such as PLC, LC, etc.). ) and intelligent instruments (such as frequency converters, valves, bar code readers, etc. ), but also has the embedded function of distributing control applications on the network. Because of its broad application prospects, many powerful foreign manufacturers compete to invest in product development. There are more than forty kinds of known field buses in the world, and the typical field buses are FF, Profibus, LONworks, CAN, HART, CC-LINK, etc.
Computer Numerical Control (CNC)
Modern numerical control system is a numerical control system using microprocessor or special microcomputer. The control logic is realized by the system program (software) pre-stored in the memory, which realizes some or all numerical control functions, and is connected with peripheral devices through interfaces, which is called computer numerical control, or CNC system for short.
Numerical control machine tool is a mechatronics product formed by the infiltration of new technology represented by numerical control system into traditional machinery manufacturing industry. Its technical scope covers many fields: (1) mechanical manufacturing technology; (2) Information processing, processing and transmission technology; (3) automatic control technology; (4) Servo drive technology; (5) sensor technology; (6) Software technology, etc.
history
The development of industrial computer technology in China has experienced the first generation of STD bus industrial computer in 1980s, the second generation of IPC industrial computer in 1990s and the third generation of CompactPCI bus industrial computer, each period lasts about 15 years. STD bus industrial computer solved the problem of industrial computer at that time. IPC industrial computer solves the problems of low cost and PC compatibility. CompactPCI bus industrial computer solves the problems of reliability and maintainability. As a new generation of industrial computer technology, CompactPCI bus industrial computer will inevitably occupy the production process automation layer, IPC will gradually move from the production process automation layer to the management information layer, and STD bus industrial computer will definitely withdraw from the historical stage, which is the inevitable result of technological development. At the same time, the new generation of industrial computer technology is also the foundation of the next generation network (NGN) technology and equipment. Therefore, a new generation of industrial computer technology covering CompactPCI bus, PXI bus and AdvancedTCA technology has great market potential and broad application prospects.
1, the first generation of industrial computer technology created a low-cost industrial automation technology.
The first generation of industrial computer technology originated in the early 1980s, prevailed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and gradually faded out of the industrial computer market in the late 1990s. Its iconic product is STD bus industrial computer. STD bus was first developed as an 8-bit industrial I/O bus by Pro-Log Company and Mostek Company in the United States, and then developed into a 16-bit bus, collectively referred to as STD80, which was absorbed by the International Organization for Standardization and became the IEEE96 1 standard. The main manufacturers of STD bus industrial computers in the world are Pro- Log, Winsystems, Ziatech, etc. And domestic enterprises mainly include Beijing Kangtuo Company and Beijing University of Technology. STD bus industrial computer is a cage installation structure, which has the characteristics of standardization, openness, modularization, combination, small size, low cost, PC compatibility and so on. It is simple to design, develop and debug. At that time, it was widely welcomed and adopted by small and medium-sized enterprises that urgently needed cheap and reliable computer transformation to upgrade traditional industries. The total installed capacity in China was close to 200,000, leaving a brilliant page in the history of industrial computer development in China. The compatibility of PC DOS software makes STD bus develop, but due to the limitation of running PC Windows software, STD bus is eliminated and replaced by IPC industrial computer which is completely compatible with PC.
Although VME bus and Multiplus bus have developed at the same time, there has never been a climate in China, and the number of installations, application scope and influence are much smaller than STD bus.
2. The second generation of industrial computer technology initiated the era of PC-based systems.
198 1 02 August 12, IBM officially launched the IBM PC, which shocked the world and was a great success. Subsequently, with the help of large-scale hardware resources, rich commercial software resources and popular human resources, PC began to enter the industrial control computer market in the late 1980s. The famous American magazine CONTROL ENGINERRING predicted that "the 1990s will be the era of industrial IPC, and nearly 65% of industrial computers in the world will use IPC, and it will continue to grow at a rate of 265,438+0% every year". The development of history has proved the correctness of this assertion. The development of IPC in China can be roughly divided into three stages: the first stage was from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, when the market was mainly expensive products of foreign brands. In the second stage, from 199 1 to 1996, IPC industrial computers produced in Taiwan Province Province began to enter the mainland market in large quantities, which greatly accelerated the development of the IPC market, and the application of IPC also extended from traditional industrial control to industries with high reliability requirements such as data communication, telecommunications and electric power. In the third stage, from 1997, mainland IPC manufacturers began to enter the market, which led to the continuous reduction of IPC prices, great changes in the application level and industry of industrial computers, and the continuous expansion of application scope. IPC has also developed into the second generation mainstream industrial computer technology in China. Domestic IPC brands are about 15, mainly including Advantech, Ling Hua, EVOC, Deep Love Les and Huabei Industrial Control.
In the late 1990s, ISA bus technology was gradually eliminated, and PCI bus technology began to dominate IPC, which enabled IPC industrial computers to continue to develop. However, due to the structure of IPC and the limitation of golden finger connector, it is difficult to fundamentally solve the problem of heat dissipation and anti-vibration adaptability in harsh environment. IPC began to gradually withdraw from the highly reliable industrial process control, power automation system, telecommunications and other fields, and turned to the field of management informationization, which was replaced by the third generation industrial computer technology with the CompactPCI bus industrial computer as the core. It is worth mentioning that IPC has created a brand-new era based on PC, which has had a far-reaching impact on the development of industrial automation and information technology.
In the second generation of industrial computer technology, we also need to mention a relatively successful technology-PC/104 bus technology. PC/ 104 bus based on ISA bus came out in 1992. It adopts self-overlapping structure and has the characteristics of small size, compact structure, low power consumption and high reliability. It is mainly used in military and medical equipment. 1997 PC/ 104 is extended to PC/ 104-Plus, and the definition of PCI bus is added. With its own characteristics and continuous improvement, PC/ 104 bus industrial computer will continue to occupy a place in its traditional advantageous fields.
3. The rapid development and popularization of the third generation industrial computer technology.
The development of PCI bus technology, market demand and the limitation of industrial computer have promoted the birth of new technology. As a new generation of mainstream industrial computer technology, the CompactPCI industrial computer standard has attracted much attention from the industry since the release of 1997. Compared with the previous STD and IPC, it has the characteristics of openness, good heat dissipation, high stability, high reliability and hot plug, which is very suitable for the application of basic equipment in industrial field and information industry. It is considered by many people in the industry to be the technical standard of the third generation industrial computer after STD and IPC. Using modular CompactPCI bus industrial computer technology to develop products can shorten the development time, reduce the design cost, reduce the maintenance cost and improve the overall performance of the system. "CompactPCI is the electrical and software of PCI bus plus Eurocard, which has the function of' plug and play' without shutting down the system, and the realization of this function is very important for high-availability systems and fault-tolerant systems." This passage in the 2004 technical innovation fund project guide of the Ministry of Science and Technology summarizes the main characteristics and importance of the CompactPCI bus industrial computer. The National Development and Reform Commission also listed the CompactPCI bus industrial computer as one of the main industrialization projects.
200 1, PICMG2. 16 introduces Ethernet packet-switched backplane bus into CompactPCI bus standard, which provides a new technical platform for telecom voice value-added service equipment and industrial automation system based on Ethernet. In 2002, PICMG released a new telecommunication standard, AdvancedTCA, or ATCA for short. Compared with PICMG2. 16, ATCA has larger specifications and capacity, higher backplane bandwidth, stricter management and control ability of the board, higher power supply capacity and stronger refrigeration capacity. ATCA is not the first open platform applied to telecom, but it is the first telecom platform specially designed by telecom experts, which mainly solves the problems of system bandwidth, high availability, field upgrade, scalability, manageability and interoperability, and finally reduces the cost.
Instrumentation is an important part of industrial automation equipment. The expansion bus from CompactPCI to instrument field is PXI bus. PXI was born in 1998. It is mainly designed for the "virtual instrument" market, but it is not limited to test and measurement equipment. It is rapidly expanding to other industrial control automation fields, and is complementary and integrated with CompactPCI bus. PXI bus industrial computer not only has the characteristics of high sampling rate, high bandwidth and high resolution of VXI, but also has the advantages of openness, software compatibility and low price. Generally speaking, 3U PXI products are used to build portable or miniaturized ATE test equipment, data acquisition systems, monitoring systems and other industrial automation systems. 6U PXI products are mainly used in high-density, high-performance and large-scale ATE equipment or industrial automation systems.
The first 20 years of 2 1 century are the 20 years in which a new generation of industrial computer technology has flourished. The third generation industrial computer technology, represented by the CompactPCI bus industrial computer, will be rapidly popularized and widely used in recent years, and will play an important role in China's informatization process.
4. Industrialization and application prospect of a new generation of industrial computers.
From 1998 to today, the industrial computer based on CompactPCI bus has developed rapidly in China and has been applied to a certain extent, but it is far from ideal. Experts in the industry generally believe that there are four main factors restricting the development of a new generation of industrial computer technology: first, because the production scale and application number of CompactPCI bus industrial computers are not large enough, the cost is too high, and users are still waiting to see and see, waiting for the price to be further reduced; Second, the variety and quantity of domestic CompactPCI bus I/O templates are not rich, and it is difficult for users to get a complete solution. Thirdly, the design technology of CompactPCI bus is difficult and its popularity is not enough. Most enterprises are unable to develop I/O templates for their own systems. Fourthly, the design and application technology of CompactPCI bus industrial computer lacks authoritative guiding literature, and it is necessary to train more professional design talents and popularize and apply talents who master this technology. Therefore, under the guidance of relevant policies of the Ministry of Science and Technology and relevant state ministries and commissions, and under the unified organization of China Computer Industry Association PICMG/PRC, we should further intensify the development and promotion of domestic CompactPCI bus industrial computers, expand the production scale, and increase the variety and quantity of products. Reduce product prices, improve product interoperability, realize industrialization, train more talents, and create more favorable conditions for the development of CompactPCI bus industrial computers.
By 2020, it will be a crucial 20 years for the Chinese nation to achieve national rejuvenation, a 20-year period to promote industrialization and realize the leap-forward development of the national economy through informationization, a period of rapid development of industrial automation technology and information industry technology, an unprecedented good development opportunity for the application and development of a new generation of industrial computer technology, and a broad application prospect.
As we all know, at present, the number of DCS systems put on the market in China is about 1400 sets, and it is increasing at the rate of 15% every year. The field controller in DCS still uses the second generation IPC industrial computer products, which needs to be replaced and upgraded by the new generation industrial computer. With the five times of railway speed-up, thousands of first-generation and second-generation industrial computers originally used in railway station computer interlocking system, train dispatching supervision system and infrared hot-axis detection system can no longer meet the requirements, and have been replaced by new-generation CompactPCI bus and PXI bus industrial computers. Power plants and power grid systems that are accelerated due to power shortage need a large number of new generation industrial computer products to realize the comprehensive automation of power system. The rapid development of intelligent transportation system needs a new generation of industrial computer technology. Textile industry, manufacturing industry, food processing, petrochemical industry, vehicle information system and so on all need to adopt a new generation of industrial computer technology. Naval shipboard measurement and control equipment, army vehicle-borne weapon control and command system and new flight simulation coaching system all need a new generation of high-performance industrial computers. Aviation and spacecraft ground measurement and control equipment, radar identification and tracking system and electronic warfare system all need a new generation of industrial computer technology. A new generation of industrial computer technology is needed for nuclear fusion low clutter data acquisition and control system in nuclear power station, virtual instrument teaching and experiment system in colleges and universities, automobile function test performance test system and online monitoring system for flood control digital dam. Next-generation network equipment, telecom core and edge equipment, data communication equipment, computer telephone integration (CTI) system and value-added services need new-generation industrial computer technologies such as CompactPCI, PICMG2. 16 and ATCA. There are other application fields that you can think of or not. If the market share of industrial automation equipment in China is only about 20 billion RMB, then with the national defense automation and information industry infrastructure equipment, hundreds of billions of large markets are waiting for the expansion of a new generation of industrial computers.
Today's era is an era of change and innovation. Based on CompactPCI bus, a new generation of industrial computer technology covering CompactPCI, PXI and ATCA is destined to become the main theme of this era. Industry authorities have predicted: "First, CompactPCI will replace the traditional IPC with an annual growth rate of 15%~20%. Secondly, CompactPCI and embedded system will become the two mainstream technologies of industrial controllers in the future. Third, China will become the world's largest market for CompactPCI. " With the rise of a new generation of industrial computer technology, the industrial computer manufacturing industry will be reshuffled, with the strong and the weak standing on the same starting line, striving for progress, failing to advance, retreating, and opportunities and challenges coexisting. As long as domestic enterprises seize the opportunity, make bold innovations, be brave and be good at meeting challenges, they will surely develop and grow together with the new generation of industrial computer technology, which is an irresistible historical trend.
development trends
The development of industrial computer and its application is closely related to the world trend of informationization, digitalization and intelligence, as well as the development of computer technology, control technology, network technology and display technology (especially field bus and control network).
In 2000, the world industrial control computer market was $30-40 billion, including $60 billion for DC, $6-7 billion for embedded systems, $2-3 billion for FCS, $7-8 billion for IPC, $7-8 billion for PLC and $7-8 billion for CNC. And the annual growth rate is 10- 15%.
Distributed control system
Although FCS based on fieldbus has developed rapidly and eventually replaced the traditional DCS, there are still many tasks to be done in the development of FCS, such as unifying standards and intelligentizing instruments. The maintenance and transformation of the traditional control system still need DCS, so it will take a long time for FCS to completely replace the traditional DCS.
At present, industrial control computers are still dominated by large systems, distributed objects and continuous production processes (such as metallurgy, petrochemical and electric power), and decentralized control systems with distributed system structure are still developing. Due to the development of open architecture and integration technology, the sales of large-scale decentralized control systems have increased. The sales of DCS 1997 was $4.5 billion, compared with $6 billion in 2000. The main DCS suppliers in the world are Honeywell, Bailey, Westin, House, ABB, Foxboro, L & ampn, Siemens, Continental, Yokogawa, Hawthorne and Japan.
Among industrial computers, DCS is one of the most affected and responsive computers. The main development trend of DCS is:
(1)DCS is developing towards integration. Due to the development of standardized data communication links and networks, various single (multi-) loop regulators, PLC, industrial PC, NC and other industrial control devices form a large system to meet the requirements of factory automation and adapt to the general trend of opening up.
(2)DCS is developing towards intelligence. Due to the development of database system and reasoning function, especially the application of knowledge base system (KEB) and expert system (ES), such as self-learning control, remote diagnosis and self-searching, artificial intelligence will be realized at all levels of DCS. Similar to FF Fieldbus, intelligent devices based on microprocessor, such as intelligent I/O intelligent PID control, intelligent sensors, transmitters, actuators, intelligent man-machine interfaces, programmable regulators, and so on, have appeared one after another.
(3) The industry of DCS is based on PC, and it has become a general trend to form DCS by IPC. PC-PLC, PC-STD and PC-NC, as operating stations or node machines of DCS, are pioneers of PC-DCS, and IPC has become the hardware platform of DCS.
(4) Specialization of developing countries. In order to be more suitable for application in various corresponding fields, it is necessary to further understand the process and application requirements of this major, so as to gradually form DCS for nuclear power, substation, glass and cement.
The new products of DCS manufacturers have the following characteristics: open system, integrated management and control, and advanced control software. DCS manufacturers are also engaged in the research and development, production and application of FCS.