Controls News 13
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Technology:
Apple operating and management devices for automation
The iPad and iPod in the field of automation
Many people are talking about it – for us and our
customers, it is already part of everyday business
Five years ago PDAs were something used by only managers and techies. Internet
access on the mobile phone was slow and rarely necessary. Since then, Apple and Steve
Jobs have changed our world. Today there are few remaining mobiles without a touch
screen, WiFi and, of course, the Internet; the word «app» is universally understood and
iPads, not merely as secondary devices, are often making PCs redundant.
Author: Kostas Kafandaris
Mobile
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Why should Saia-Burgess deal with these devices as a PLC
manufacturer?What do they have to do with automation?
The answer is that they enable us to overcome obstacles. They build
bridges between the different worlds – the worlds of offices and in-
dustry, of mobile and stationary applications. And that is good news
for automation!
Bridges between twoWorlds
The office area is a domain that is dominated by PCs and Microsoft
whereas industrial and building installations contain freely program-
mable control technology, DDC controllers and industrial HMI devic-
es. For visualization, operation and data exchange in particular, this
means that it is often necessary to deal with other devices – which
also means different tools, programs and operating philosophies.
The web-HMI concept acts as the basis for overcoming these obsta-
cles. The visualization is no longer specifically created for every end
device but is instead stored once, centrally on the controller’s web
server. The same, platform-independent user interface is available to
all operators via the web server. Managers receive the same image
on their PCs from the office PC via a standard browser as caretak-
ers receive locally on the switching cabinet with an industrial Micro-
Browser web panel
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