International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems
Development of Remote Monitoring
and a Control System Based on PLC
and WebAccess for Learning
Mechatronics
Regular Paper
Wen-Jye Shyr
1, Te-Jen Su
2,*and Chia-Ming Lin
11 Department of Industrial Education and Technology, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua, Taiwan, R.O.C. 2 Department of Electronics Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
* Corresponding author E-mail: sutj@cc.kuas.edu.tw
Received 30 Apr 2012; Accepted 3 Dec 2012
DOI: 10.5772/55363
© 2013 Shyr et al.; licensee InTech. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract This study develops a novel method for learning mechatronics using remote monitoring and control, based on a programmable logic controller (PLC) and WebAccess. A mechatronics module, a Web‐CAM and a PLC were integrated with WebAccess software to organize a remote laboratory. The proposed system enables users to access the Internet for remote monitoring and control of the mechatronics module via a web browser, thereby enhancing work flexibility by enabling personnel to control mechatronics equipment from a remote location. Mechatronics control and long‐distance monitoring were realized by establishing communication between the PLC and WebAccess. Analytical results indicate that the proposed system is feasible. The suitability of this system is demonstrated in the department of industrial education and technology at National Changhua University of Education, Taiwan. Preliminary evaluation of the system was encouraging and has shown that it has achieved success in helping students understand concepts and master remote monitoring and control techniques.
Keywords Mechatronics, Remote Control, Monitoring
And Control, Web‐Based Learning
1. Introduction
System integration and mechatronics automation are rapidly moving toward remote monitoring via the Internet, which reduces the human resources required to monitor mechanical functions in factories. With the rapid development of global information technology, an increase in the number of computer users, the maturation of industrial communications technology and improvements in technologies associated with the monitoring system and smart electronic devices, many companies now offer monitoring systems with a wide range of functions. Advantech WebAccess is the first software program based on the human machine interface (HMI) with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) incorporated into browsers [1]. Saygin and
Kahraman [2] presented a web‐based PLC
1 Wen-Jye Shyr, Te-Jen Su and Chia-Ming Lin: Development of Remote Monitoring
and a Control System Based on PLC and WebAccess for Learning Mechatronics
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ARTICLE
represents the test of a theoretical model and should be subjected to further testing with different participants, contexts and technological architectures. Second, the participants were graduate students completing the course as part of a degree requirement. Therefore, these results may not necessarily be generalized to other settings or contexts. Issues of motivation among participants can also influence results. Third, owing to the course requirements and the focus of the research questions, we were unable to completely capture the richness of the reciprocal relationship between social presence and interaction.
6. Conclusions
This study develops a novel remote graphical monitoring and control system for learning a mechatronics. The presented system utilizes WebAccess graphical control software for programming a human interface. This approach differs considerably from previous studies [8], in that most remote graphical monitoring and control systems require additional web servers, are difficult to maintain and cannot provide core data directly. The proposed WebAccess architecture is web‐based. Therefore, programming the human computer interface, constructing data points and establishing all of the required functions can be realized directly on the web. This proposed system even facilitates convenient remote maintenance, in which administrators directly log onto a management page to modify functions, backup data and perform updates.
According to our survey results, most of the participants felt that the main advantages of web‐based learning systems were the ability to set one’s own pace and the flexibility of scheduling which allowed them to revisit some materials without being rushed. The disadvantages were the lack of immediate clarification from an instructor and other forms of human interaction. This system will hopefully bridge the gap between university education and industrial applications. The proposed system contributes to user understanding, enabling students to rapidly adapt to changing industrial environments following graduation.
In the future, this developed learning system could enhance academic research and automation applications and benefit management and real‐time monitoring. Furthermore, the proposed remote graphic monitoring and control system utilizes the advantages of the Internet, which allows users to monitor device operations remotely at any time, transmit Web‐CAM images via a network to user’s computer and provide real‐time images of onsite equipment operation. 7. Appendix DDE: Dynamic Data Exchange HMI: Human Machine Interface I/O: Input/Output NetDDE: Network Dynamic Data Exchange ODBC: Open DataBase Connectivity PLC: Programmable Logic Controller SCADA: Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol 8. Acknowledgments
This work is based upon work supported by National Science Council, Taiwan, Republic of China, under grants NSC 100‐2511‐S‐018‐008.
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7 Wen-Jye Shyr, Te-Jen Su and Chia-Ming Lin: Development of Remote Monitoring
and a Control System Based on PLC and WebAccess for Learning Mechatronics