INDUSTRIES

Before a vehicle reaches the mass production stage, countless measurements need to be made to coordinate all components optimally. Mobile measuring systems specialist Suchy Data Systems GmbH, based in Maisacher, Germany, has developed a new compact measuring system to meet the requirements of field tests. This system can analyze up to 600 measurement channels. A CompactPCI CPU board with rear I/O support specially customized by Kontron for Suchy is used as the subsystem for visualization, data logging, and communications.

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With the JRex-CPU and JFLEX extension cards, Kontron AG has begun a standardization initiative for 3.5inch Single Board Computers (SBCs). The American company Optibrand uses the JRex boards in their livestock identification systems, whose core is a rugged handheld-computer running on a JRex-Board with one JFLEX communications extension card and a camera for retina-scanning. Several thousand of these rugged, fanless IPCs are already in use.

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ACD Antriebs- technik, part of the ACD Group based in Achstetten, Germany, which employs 300 people, uses JRex single-board computers from Kontron AG in their motion controllers. The company relies on the open 3.5 inch board standard to offer an integrated, finely-tuned range of products. With a large choice of processors on otherwise physically identical mini-SBCs, the JRex family is ideal for their design.

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Loewe Opta was founded by Dr. Siegmund and David Loewe together with two partners in Berlin during the depression of 1923. One year later they presented the first integrated circuit in the history of electronics. The triple tube was co-developed with Manfred von Ardenne, a world-renowned scientist in the field of Television and electron microscope technology. Consequently, Loewe also presented the first all-electronic TV receiver at the International Broadcast Exhibition 1931 in Berlin. In 1951 the 'Optaphon', the first tape recorder using cassettes rather than tape reels, was produced by Loewe. Loewe continues to be a medium-sized highly innovative corporation concentrating on 'consumer electronics', telecommunications and car electronics.

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Laser machines combine precision mechanical engineering of high dynamics with high-powered laser technology. They are highly productive systems for cutting, welding, and for surface treatment. Flat sheets, tubes, three-dimensional and also rotationally symmetrical work pieces can all be processed by these machining centers. Inside the rack is a controller based on a standard PowerPC, 3U VME CPU running under OS9 and a customized bus interface between the proprietary and the VME bus. The customized controller was realized without an external bus (e.g. Ethernet, field bus, etc.) due to the request of fast real-time at signal utilization (Jitter < 50ms) for the very accurate laser beam control. The inside VME bus system is used to allow the propriety system to use the advantages of a modular system like flexibility in communication, upgradeability, and scalability.

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Kontron designed and developed the software for a highly complex laser control system. The software design was integrated into a newly selected hardware platform. Kontron design experts not only met today’s demands, but also succeeded in creating a solution that is open and flexible for future. The laser is used in the production of integrated circuits, for which a very exact exposure period by Laser is vital. The Lasers are driven in a pulsed process and the exposure energy is dosed in accurate control loops. To achieve the required accuracy, the use and re-fill volumes of the various gases and the maintenance intervals must be thoroughly tracked and fed back into the control parameters.

Kontron Solution Advantages

• Long-term stability with a leading OS (VxWorks) and a common design language (UML)
• Open to new hardware by hardware abstraction layer
• Easy adaption of the exposure device to manufacturer-specific interfaces
• Easy modification of the interface and overall laser behaviour by providing an interpreter.
• Remote maintenance
• Modular hardware solution by CompactPCI combined with DSPs

As the result, costs for future changes and for maintenance are minimized. OEM resources can concentrate on introducing new features, so that the product becomes more competitive and customers are even more satisfied.

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Grossenhainer was looking to reduce the mechanical part of their spinning machines by one third. The key to this innovation: A VMEbus system from Kontron and four Lenze drives connected through CAN.

The production of thread demands exceptional precision: The cotton band has to be stretched by a factor of 10, strengthened and then evenly rolled up on a spool. The key demand of this process is an even thickness of the thread: A typical cotton thread contains 120 fibers across its diameter. A deviation of just 10 percent results in inferior thread.

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CompactPCI computers control automated systems in open-cast mining operations.

The objective was clear: a control system on a bucket-wheel excavator for mining lignite, a fossil fuel often known as brown coal, needed to be completely refurbished. Despite widespread skepticism, EWG Automation decided on a comprehensive PC-based automation solution. The system integrators developed an efficient and stable application with products from a number of suppliers. Crunching and grating, bucket wheels the size of a delivery van burrow into the black cliff. In summer the temperature in the operator's cabin, suspended just a few meters away, is almost unbearable. A constant, powerful 5Hz vibration shakes the cabin incessantly. The air in the cabin is thick with fine, black coal dust that deposits itself as a thick greasy layer on sweating skin.

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Mercury, a Russian company (www.asu-direct.ru), which provides services on technological and management processes automation, successfully uses ThinkIO controllers in ASU-direct APCS (Automated Process and Control System). The system accurately calculates technical parameters of cement, water and admixtures feeding and is in operation at many enterprises producing building materials.

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Eickhoff shearer loaders use modular CompactPCI hardware from Kontron and the CoDeSys Soft PLC together with Profibus and CANopen in a single-system solution. The bundle can also be purchased as a preconfigured, application-ready platform for any control application. In addition to the timesaving hardware/software integration, customers benefit from the ability to customize the system with in-house CPU cards and I/O assemblies.

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 The laser is a universal tool for non-contact cutting, welding, marking, drilling, punching and forming materials. It is not subject to wear and tear. A 6U CompactPCI system running under VxWorks is used in the laser cutting machines produced by a global leader in laser technology. They offer the solution for almost any application and use customized technology from the Kontron Group. The customer produces computer-controlled machine tools for processing and combination machining of flexible sheet metal. The design engineers chose 6U CompactPCI to control the beam intensity because it is very shock and vibration resistant and has a passive cooling. Kontron delivers a complete, configured central unit including the VxWorks target licence on one order so our customers' logistics are as simple as possible.

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The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) in Dortmund, Germany has developed a robot goalkeeper with lightning fast reflexes that is a match for even the best professional footballers. RoboKeeper’s brain is the ThinkIO Embedded IPC from Kontron that offers dual-core processing performance as well as a range of standard PC and industrial interfaces for easy and cost-effective implementation of industrial vision control applications.

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Sophisticated image processing systems are becoming an increasingly indispensible part of quality control on automated filling and packaging lines that require zero failure tolerance. The embedded computer technology used in the systems needs to offer price-optimized, highly reliable real-time performance in a rugged environment. To meet these demands, one of the world’s leading designers and suppliers of filling lines and control systems has developed a highly flexible image processing system based on custom designed 3U CompactPCI® CPU boards from Kontron.

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Take a look at this fun design with JRex. Our application is an important part in the "preventive management". We provide with our MOMOKI (Mobile Monitoring Kit) a solution to survey all the conditions you are interessted in like Temperature, Current, Voltage, movement alarm unit and access control. We are sure you will have some more creative designs for us as well.

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The size of a first generation Walkman, the i-boro PC, which can be worn on a belt, is integrated into a novel communications system for service and maintenance work on devices, machines, and facilities. The system is based on ETX Computer-On-Modules (COM) from Kontron and was developed by ies Industrie-Elektronik Schmitz in cooperation with SN Technics. It delivers Intel® Pentium® M performance for bi-directional audio and video communication between central service technicians and on-site maintenance personnel.

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The new agent-based software architecture from Asentics for industrial image processing on surface inspection applications, such as PCB inspection, takes full advantage of the performance offered by Kontron industrial servers equipped with x86-based multicore processors. At the same time, the highly flexible agent-based software architecture accelerates the application-specific configuration of Asentic’s image processing systems. The combined solution is a successful symbiosis of the latest hardware technology and the related software.

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Development of resource-saving technologies, which are used in the today’s production, dictates a necessity to use instrumentation, which would provide a reliable real-time estimate of technical condition of operating equipment. RTSoft company uses the latest program products to create information and measurement systems in accordance with today’s requirements. Information and measurement system of Central Control Room of Kotlassky pulp and paper mill, the biggest producer of cellulose, paper and cardboard in Russia, was put into operation in December, 2004.

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A leading German supplier of test systems for the communication industry uses 3U CompactPCI CPUs from Kontron in their measurement station for antenna tests. This "all-in-one" test system is one of the new high-tech products from this company. It combines a large variety of options in one modular system. This makes the CompactTSVP test system extra comfortable and worldwide unique. The system is used in the mass production, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Correspondingly, the CompactPCI board from Kontron was chosen and successfully integrated.

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Replacement of PLCs and NC controls by IPC based controls
  A customized HMI is integrated into the operating panel of a sheet fed offset printing press, which can do double-sided printing in a single pass. The printing machine is controlled via a TFT touchscreen on which settings and status data are displayed. Almost all the peripheral devices are controlled using the touchscreen via CANopen. The system, which is equipped with an onboard graphics solution, is shock and vibration resistant.

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The Kontron Panels met all of Wonderware’s hardware specs and performance requirements, including offering a range of screen sizes and chassis designs all based on the same underlying hardware platform. “This was especially important,” explains David Gardner, Product Manager at Wonderware, “because we can offer customers a variety of systems to fit their environment without changing our software or modifying the system in any way.” Wonderware also preferred Kontron’s Panel because they use the Ultra Low Voltage Intel^® Pentium^® M processor, which enables Wonderware and Kontron to deliver the bundle in a fanless design that can withstand the harsh conditions of most factory settings.

Download the complete Case Study by Kontron & Wonderware here.

One of Kontron's customers is a leading company in the semiconductor industry, offering a comprehensive range of Die Bond equipment, including Multi-Chip or Eutectic technology. This Die Bond equipment runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and requires the highest accuracy. The company moved its systems from PCI to CompactPCI which is very user friendly, compact, and modular. The customer uses a 3U CPCI board running with Linux. Kontron has been chosen as their supplier because of its high quality products, broad product range – with complete solutions available from one supplier – longevity of supply, and professional technical support.

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VME Systems For Vehicle Development
Automobiles are becoming increasingly sensitive. Today if you drive off in your new BMW with an automatic transmission, within a few minutes the car works out what mood you are in. It then tunes its engine and gear management to your individual style of driving, whether you are in the mood for a sedate, comfortable ride or out for speed, by adjusting the rate of fuel injection as well as adapting its gear switching.

Such individual adjustments have finally become possible thanks to microprocessor technology. The use of semiconductors in control devices has forced the implementation of more and more complex control functions and algorithms, such as parameter fields to control petrol and Diesel injection, adaptable Lambda and knock control, anti blocking and sliding systems and adaptable drive programs for automatic gears.

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Monuments of architecture and arts, including Moscow Kremlin, the State historical and cultural museum, always impose higher reliability requirements to automated controlling systems. Modernization of Kremlin’s objects was a very complicated work because of possible serious consequences of even the minor damages. At the end of December, 2004, RTSoft competed a project for development of software for integrated control room, which integrated control of air-conditioners in cathedrals of Moscow Kremlin museums.

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The complex for fiscal metering of anhydrous alcohol concentration and volume in a product could be used in distillers and rectifying units, in alcohol cellars, in receiving and storage sections and others. There are an estimator and primary transducers measuring dehydrated alcohol in liquid substances. The estimator is constructed on the base of a high-speed specialized “Compact PCI” computer operating in real-time system made by “Kontron” company. Mass flow meters are used as primary transducers in the complex.

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The target of this project was to create the entire system that monitors the production process on the semiautomatic production machines, records all system alarm and fault messages, generates automatically reports of the daily production, daily events that occurred, downtimes and total tasks for every workshift. Special MES application has been created and integrated into the entire existing production system. Finally, the production process with less downtime events became more effective. Production reports in MS Excel and HTML format are available for further production analysis and operating staff is able to plan and coordinate the production more effectively. Every operator uses the chip card to log into the system, the same chip card they use for factory attendance system. All production and other data are stored in the MS SQL server.