Internet system of data control – AMESITE package is performed in Internet technologies and serves as a tool for preparation and running an application of visualization systems, monitoring, acquisition and processing the measurement data of various kinds of objects, as well as applications to their remote control with internet browsers use.
The functionality of AMESITE package agrees, to a large extent, with basic functionality of the professional packages of data collecting and monitoring and with SCADA supervisory control. All that functionality is accessible by internet.
AMESITE provides following functionalities:
- Access through the Internet.
- Effective utilization of advanced control algorithms and algorithms requiring great calculation efforts.
- Three-dimensional computer graphics processing in order to data and industrial process visualization.
- Effective utilization of the vision from cameras and the vision processing for control purpose
The Internet application is prepared in the following computer technologies:
- Java applets worked out by Sun Microsystems Co.,
- PHP/CSS/HTML technology with an access through Internet browser.
Data is available without any additional software, the IE browser or Mozilla Firefox is sufficient. The only requirement is a free JRE (Java Runtime Environment) software version 1.6 or newer. The AMESITE system architecture – The system, which is typical for high-leveled control system, has an architecture client-server.
Server – The server is composed of following elements:
- Server HTTP (Server Appache) – enables an access to the Client application and to the files needed in its operation through the Internet connection. Client is a program written in Java language and can be run as an applet or as an application by means of iStart technology. In this situation there are no extra requirements concerning the system access except for Java language interpreter – Java Runtime Environment.
- Communication component, which ensures data transfer between the clients and data sources such as: discs, data bases, OPC servers, or other applications e.g. iFIX.
- Data storage component. In this part of system data is stored due to make it accessible or processed further.
- Data processing component. The server features a possibility of advanced data processing, e.g. vision processing, preparation of control algorithms or of a strategy for the production process management.
The server guarantees a client the access to data. Thus it is a bridge between data derived from a process or from other system such as iFIXa and clients. Clients make data accessible to operators, by which server can influence a way of the industrial process control. The communication component consists of elements providing possibility of data transfer through a protocol TCP/IP, technology OPC, EDA, HDA and communication with data bases. The communication protocol OPC (OLE for Process Control) is an open industrial communication standard, serving as data interchange among an automatic equipment. EDA (Easy Database Access) and HDA (Historical Data Access) are protocols supported by iFIX and serving as data interchange. EDA enable simple and quick access to data acquired by iFIX system thanks to which writing, reading out and trace changing in variables out of iFIXa data base is possible. HDA allows to access iFIXa historical data, imports and writes Lab Date data into iFIXa. Lab Data are data generated by any other application e.g. Microsoft Excel.
ODBC (Open Data Base Connectivity) is used to communicate with data bases. ODBC is API (Application Programming Interface) which is independent form operating system, programming language and data bases. Thanks to this independence the combination and interchanging of data bases information are possible. AMESITE server is the application written mainly in the C++ language due to (in order to) guarantee the appropriate operational speed. The client is written in Java language.
Internet system gives an access to the application. The client’s computer connects with the server HTTP, takes and runs the application. In this way the client of AMESITE system is by its nature a network application which resolves problems of remote access by Internet.
The described solution presents very vital advantages:
- It is not required that client’s computer had installed any other software except of Java language interpreter. Java Runtime Environment – an interpreter of Java language is an environment for running of applications written in this language and this software is currently very popular. JRE is easily accessible and does not generate any costs
- Introducing any changes or corrections in the system does not require any software update. In this way all clients always use the newest and current version of the system. It is very practical both for the system end-users and for the system creators team. Computer systems administrators working in industrial companies do not have to take care of AMESITE system update. The access to the system can be made practically from each computer connected to the Internet. System designers do not have to be concerned with compatibility with older versions what mainly leads to the diminished efficiency of the system.