Emerson Exchange 365

Personal consumers have embraced remote communication, and now these technologies have made their way into the industrial automation space. Advanced edge controllers are making these benefits possible for industry.

My article in the April 2020 issue of Applied Automation (a supplement to Control Engineering and Plant Engineering), titled Take Remote Monitoring to the Edge, examines the progress and unique advantages of this approach.

Keeping an Eye on Industry
Smart industrial internet of things (IIoT) devices are making it possible to economically deploy computing power and communications capability out closer to the field. In particular, edge controllers are enabling comprehensive remote monitoring, benefiting industrial users in many ways:

• See where you cannot be
• Personnel can monitor more
• Reduced personnel travel
• Reduced need for personnel to enter hazardous areas
• Better operation through key performance indicator (KPI) presentation
• Quicker reaction time
• Enhanced simple monitoring with advanced preprocessing, computation and analysis
• Monitoring can be added onto existing systems or built into new systems
• Wider visibility enables new insights
• Improved collaboration with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)

New systems can be designed with these features built-in, and existing systems can be upgraded with edge controllers to add this functionality.

New Options for OEMs
Classic programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and human-machine interfaces (HMIs) gained certain remote viewing capabilities over the years, but connectivity was slow, difficult to manage, insecure, and/or expensive.

The IIoT and edge controllers overcome these challenges. Beyond basic remote monitoring, modern products help OEM machine builders collaborate better with their customers by creating new service and business models. Some possibilities:

• Online updates and upgrades
• Digital site service agreements
• Prescriptive field service deployments
• Timely consumables replenishment

Edge control makes it possible to examine one machine, or a fleet of equipment installed at numerous sites anywhere in the world, to develop useful insights.

The Edge Advantage
Edge controllers combine deterministic real-time control (like a conventional PLC) with general-purpose computing (like a PC). They can be added to existing sites or equipment as a supervisory data concentrator, or designed into new projects as a complete solution. With edge controllers, users can design systems with any combination of:

• Local control with fault tolerant I/O
• Edge processing and analytics
• Web page visualization hosting

End users and OEMs are unlocking capabilities for many applications. Edge controllers can be used to deploy drones to remote sites, provide centralized monitoring of similar equipment located at multiple facilities, and enable condition-based maintenance and alarm notification.

Edge controllers are already available to perform any type of traditional industrial automation, while adding contemporary computing features. These industrial edge controllers are uniquely positioned to provide advanced remote monitoring capabilities, helping end users solve problems while saving time and money.