Monitoring & Control Systems

Real Time processing

 Real-time processing means that the computer has to keep pace with some external
operation, processing the data that it receives more or less instantaneously and
producing immediate results.
 Real-Time systems are used in a variety of situations and generally speaking fall
into one of two categories:
 Process Control.
 Information storage and retrieval
a) Process Control
This is the control of machinery or industrial processes by means of a computer.
e.g. Sensors which continuously monitor data such as temperature, pressure, composition
of substance and so on and the computer reacts accordingly. Thousands of tasks including
the operation of nuclear power station, controlling processes in chemical engineering,
monitoring and controlling medical equipment in hospitals and wide range of goods.
Process Control
 ADVANTAGES
 Computer are able to respond instantly to change in conditions.
 Fewer staff are needed, so costs are reduced, making the final product cheaper.
 The system can keep working 24hrs per day, 365 days a year.
 Some processes are dangerous. Keeping people away from these processes can
help prevent accidents.
 It is easy for a manufacturer to change a product by reprogramming a computer
 DISADVANTAGES
 Fewer people are needed to do a job, so this leads to unemployment.
 Computers tend to be expensive to introduce initially.
Examples of process control
 Data logging
 Is the collection of data automatically, from sensors, over a period of time known
as the data logging period which is then processed at a later date
 There are two types of data loggers one with a permanent computer connections
and the other with a temporary computer connection.
 Examples of application: Weather monitoring stations, Pollution monitoring
systems and grabbing data with great speed from the results of a scientific experiments.
Page 168 Info Sys
 Green House
 A glass building used for growing plants that need warmth, light and protection.
An artificial correct environment is provided such as keeping the temperature and
humidity constant.
 Sensor are used to record the levels of humidity and temperature. Signals from
these sensors are sent to a computer which will open or close windows, switch on or off
the pump to spray water depending on the level humidity. Windows are also opened or
closed, a heater is switched on or off depending on the level of temperature Page 168
Info Sys
SENSORS
 A piece of equipment used for discovering the presence of light, heat, sound etc.
Devices used to detect various physical.
 Examples are: Light sensor, mercury tilt switch, light sensor,push sensor, push
switch, temperature sensor, sound sensor, proximity sensor, position sensor, pH sensor,
Humidity sensor. Page 164 Info Systems.
 Application of Sensors
 Using different types of sensor, robots can see, hear, smell, touch and taste their
environment. For a robot to see, for example, cameras can be attached to its processor,
enabling it to perform such tasks as recognising and sorting components on an assembly
line. Microphones, in conjunction with speech recognition software, can enable a robot to
respond to spoken instructions. One robotic system, endorsed by the American Spice
Trade Association, measures the 'heat' of hot peppers, based on the amount of capsaicin
that the peppers contain.
ROBOTICS
 Robotics is when computer-controlled machines are used in industry
 Robot, self-governing, programmable electromechanical device used in industry
and in scientific research to perform a task or a limited repertoire of tasks. Robots are a
subcategory of automated devices
 The word 'robot' comes from the Czechoslovakian word 'robotnik' meaning
slave. Robots come in many different forms and shapes, but they all have the same basic
components:
 Sensors, which capture information from the environment
 a microprocessor to process the information
 actuators to produce movement or alter the environment in some way, for
example by turning an electronic switch on or off.
 Industrial Robot Page 162

Uses of Robots
 Robots may be used for spray painting, spot welding and assembling cars.
 They are also used as security devices inside homes and office buildings, as
vehicles in space exploration,
 as intelligent wheelchairs for disabled people
 as underwater maintenance workers for oil rigs.
Input - Process - Output
 The inputs are provided by sensors which detect changes in the system such as
temperature, speed, position, etc. These are all things which change continuously in time.
Transducers convert them into voltages which change continuously, i.e. analogue
voltages. However, computers work in discrete digital values and it is therefore necessary
to convert the analogue changes into a form which the computer can understand. This is
usually achieved by passing the information provided by the sensors through a circuit
called an analogue-to-digital converter.
 The processing is carried out by the computer on the basis of its program in order
to achieve a predetermined output
 The computer will then send signals to appropriate output devices, such as motors
and heaters which control the process. The system must work in real time as the computer
is affecting the situation in the real world, and it therefore, forms a closed loop. The
computer must be able to react quickly to any changes produced by its own output.

Feedback

 Feedback occurs when the output of a process is used to modify its own input.
Robots may operate in one of two different modes:
 open loop mode. Here, there is no feedback and the robot simply goes through
preprogrammed motions or actions. If it were programmed to spray paint a car, it would
go through the motions, regardless of whether the car was correctly positioned or whether
it had run out of paint.
 closed loop mode. Here, a system of feedback is used so that sensors send back
signals to the computer, which can take appropriate action. For example, a robot may
have to line up one component with another before inserting a bolt. A camera may
capture the necessary image, and the processor then has to transform this data into
information so that the robot knows what action to take
Advantages of using Robots
 1. Robots can work in environments hazardous to humans, or perform
dangerous tasks such as disarming live bombs, working in a radioactive environment or
sending information back from the surface of Mars.
 2. They can tirelessly perform repetitive and monotonous tasks, lift heavy
loads and reach long distances. They are used, for example, by the US Navy to scrape
and repaint ships.
 3. Labour costs can be substantially reduced, and robots are now widely
employed in car manufacturing as well as many other industries, including printing and
publishing. Robots can carry tons of paper coming off presses, bind and trim books and
apply book covers. It has been estimated that each industrial robot will replace an average
of six workers.
 4. Quality of work is consistent. Arobotis never distracted or bored, never loses
concentration or makes a mistake. In welding work, for example, a robot quickly puts the
right size weld in the right place at the right time with predictable accuracy and
consistency.
 5. Increased productivity. Robots will work for 24 hours a day, work faster
than humans and do not go on strike or demand higher wages.