Online industrial process broadcast and control based on IP and serial networks

Abstract

The Internet network in conjunction with a strong security policy can be an ideal online broadcast system for the industrial processes monitoring and control. Because the distributed controllers are connected through industrial serial connection, the network between controllers cannot be extended very much. The problem appears when the plant is away and cannot be accessed via a serial connection. For administrative and control purposes the serial network can be interconnected with an IP network. In this case the operator can be anywhere in the world and can interact via an interface with the process. This paper will describe flow process remote controlled using a mixture of two communication technologies: RS485 and TCP/IP. The junction between these technologies is transparent and the operator is able to monitor the process using an interface console.