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Emerson surveys show almost half of our customers have a talent gap for addressing the increasing amounts of data supplied by industrial internet of things (IIoT) initiatives. Surveys also indicate more than 70 percent of industrial companies judge it critical to have an IIoT strategy in place by 2021.

Emerson edge products can help end users address these and other issues by gathering, consolidating, and acting on IIoT data. My article in the April 2020 issue of Design World, Edge Automation Improves Productivity, explores how edge automation enables users to realize value from the IIoT.

Edge Options: Gateways, Devices, and Controllers
Modern automation system architectures use field sensors and actuators for direct real-time control, and also include smart IIoT devices and systems for gathering additional data to support analytical insights.

Three types of edge components support monitoring and data gathering tasks. In order of increasing cost and functionality they are:

• Edge gateway: Collects and forwards data from field devices and real-time controllers
• Edge device: Includes edge gateway functionality and adds data processing capabilities
• Edge controller: Includes the edge device general-purpose computing functionality, and adds a real-time operating system to execute deterministic control logic

Edge controllers are the most capable of the three types of components. Emerson uses hardware-level virtualization to package a real-time operating system (RTOS) with a general-purpose operating system (OS), in this case Linux.

The RTOS can be used to perform the role of a traditional programmable logic controller (PLC), while the general-purpose OS can perform PC-like data storage, analytical, and processing tasks. The two OSs are completely independent down to the hardware level, although they can securely interact with each other via OPC UA.

In practice, the RTOS can provide direct equipment control and gather data. The general-purpose OS can process the data, transmit it to higher level systems, and also inform the RTOS of optimal operating setpoints.

Better Collaboration Helps Resolve Issues
OEMs can incorporate edge controllers for automating their machinery. Both the OEM and the end user can take advantage of near real-time access to machine data, enabling improved visibility into equipment operation for collaborative diagnosis and troubleshooting.

Capability as a Service
Other OEMs can adopt a new “capability as a service” model where they lease equipment to end users instead of selling it. Edge controllers let the OEM carefully track and bill for machine usage, uptime, and performance. This allows the OEM to assume a higher level of responsibility, while reducing end user upfront capital expenditures.

Renewable Energy Examples
Renewable energy sites like hydropower microgenerators are installed in widely distributed and remote locations. Edge controllers enable real-time control at these sites, along with edge analytics and secure remote connectivity, all in one compact and robust package.

Edge Automation Improves Productivity
Edge automation and analytics boosts personnel productivity by helping operators increase efficiency and enabling maintenance technicians to effectively support many sites.

Shortages of skilled labor can be remedied in part by increases in productivity, which can be achieved by intelligent investments in automation. This is a much more efficient approach than using multiple components for control and other functions because these traditional approaches require integration between components, additional cabinet space, and added expense.

For new and existing installations, edge automation improves personnel productivity.