Minimum Implementation Tasks Required

• Data Acquisition: Convert analog signals in their standard voltage and current ranges from the sensors into digital forms, and convert digital signals from the microcontroller to the actuators into analog signals within their standard ranges. It is required to implement such a data acquisition card with 8 input and output channels.
• Control: Implement a few local control loops (PID and On/Off control) using suitable microcontrollers. The processes to be controlled may be RC electrical circuits which are analogous to hydraulic, thermal and mechanical processes. The controller should be able to implement up to 8 control loops.
• Hardware: Add wireless networking capabilities to each local microcontroller via one of its standard interfaces. This networking capability should allow the microcontroller to receive the digital controller parameters (e.g. set point, PID values, On/Off conditions) from the laptop, PDA or PC as well as transmitting output values to the control room.
• Software: Develop the software that integrates the local controllers and the engineer's portable station to allow the engineer to control and monitor the processes. The software should have different GUI capabilities to display the output values (graphs, graphics simulation of the real process, LCD screen, etc.).

Introduction

In an industrial process plant it is common that all local controllers be connected to a central control room where the control engineer has the equipment that enables him to monitor and control the whole process. Common tasks inside the control room are monitoring variables, changing set points, tuning local controllers, and production scheduling. Local controllers usually are microcontrollers with analog interface to the local sensors and actuators, and digital interface to some type of local network to connect to other controllers and to the central control room.
As the control engineer walks around the process plant he needs to have some of the capabilities of process monitoring and control he usually has in the control room. The objective of this project is to develop and implement a wireless local network that connects all local controllers to the control engineer laptop or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) to allow him to perform tasks that require him to be in the control room. The wireless network is not intended to replace any existing local network, whether a field bus or an Ethernet, but it will work in parallel to any existing network providing the control engineer with a portable control room.