Novel Networked Remote Laboratory Architecture for Open Connectivity Based on PLC-OPC-LabVIEW-EJS Integration. Application in Remote Fuzzy Control and Sensors Data Acquisition

Abstract

In this paper the design and implementation of a network for integrating Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), the Object-Linking and Embedding for Process Control protocol (OPC) and the open-source Easy Java Simulations (EJS) package is presented. A LabVIEW interface and the Java-Internet-LabVIEW (JIL) server complete the scheme for data exchange. This configuration allows the user to remotely interact with the PLC. Such integration can be considered a novelty in scientific literature for remote control and sensor data acquisition of industrial plants. An experimental application devoted to remote laboratories is developed to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of the proposed approach. The experiment to be conducted is the parameterization and supervision of a fuzzy controller of a DC servomotor. The graphical user interface has been developed with EJS and the fuzzy control is carried out by our own PLC. In fact, the distinctive features of the proposed novel network application are the integration of the OPC protocol to share information with the PLC and the application under control. The user can perform the tuning of the controller parameters online and observe in real time the effect on the servomotor behavior. The target group is engineering remote users, specifically in control- and automation-related tasks. The proposed architecture system is described and experimental results are presented.

Easy Handling of Sensors and Actuators over TCP/IP Networks by Open Source Hardware/Software

“…In [44] a networked control lab is designed using EJS and MATLAB/Simulink. A fuzzy controller is applied by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) using EJS to implement the remote HMI whereas a LabVIEW application communicates such interface with the PLC via Object-Linking and Embedding for Process Control (OPC) in [33]. …”

“…Moreover, in many cases, only commercial software tools are available, which means an expense that is unaffordable in several applications. In the literature we can find many examples of access to remote systems where implementation is performed using commercial software, ad hoc designs or a mixture of both solutions [23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33]. In this regard, in the path towards the future generation of technological processes, there is a trend to replace proprietary approaches with open and standardized solutions [34].…”

“…In fact, it has been broadly used to construct such educational resources for universities all around the world. Some examples for engineering education cover several scopes like automatic control [29,30,38,39], robotics [25,40], automation [26,33], photovoltaic systems [41], supervisory systems [42]. Regarding the extensions, EJS can connect with external software widely used in academic and research laboratories, namely Java-Internet-LabVIEW (JIL) [43] and Java-Internet-Matlab (JIM) [44].…”

A Novel Reconstruction Approach to Elevator Energy Conservation Based on a DC Micro-Grid in High-Rise Buildings

“…For high-rise buildings, where elevators are the dominant vertical transportation tools, how to achieve the energy conservation of elevators is considerable to be investigated. Furthermore, for the normal operation of elevators in a building, it is necessary to build an internet of things (IoT) [7], with the help of remote data acquisition technology [8], which is able to monitor electric devices [9], provide predictive diagnosis [10,11] and realize optimal control [12].…”

Development of Final Projects in Engineering Degrees around an Industry 4.0-Oriented Flexible Manufacturing System: Preliminary Outcomes and Some Initial Considerations

“…Open source hardware and software resources are receiving efforts in the automation and monitoring scopes [40][41][42]. Indeed, these resources are being signaled as key accelerators for the industry adoption of the IoT [43].…”