Controls News 13
87
Technology:
Apple operating and management devices for automation
time and its causes on an iPod instead of having to
run to the nearest PC. That definitely saves time!
However, the iPad is not only technically impres-
sive – it is also a visually attractive device. In build-
ing automation in particular, it can make a stationary
HMI device redundant. Why would you install a wall-
mounted operating device if you have an iPhone or
iPad on hand? The managers in the Holiday Inn hotel
in Bern Westside thought the same. The stationary
operating unit of the EIB/KNX-controlled conference
rooms was summarily replaced with a modern, web-
based controller using iPads. Full details of this solu-
tion can be found in the article «Mobile conference
room operation» below.
The Saia®Micro-Browser app can be downloaded
from iTunes: web code en386a
Everything mentioned above also applies to
Android devices. A Micro-Browser app is currently
being developed for the Android platforms and will
be launched in the second quarter of 2012.
Thanks to the iPad or iPhone, the final obstacle of the
end device hardware has now also been overcome.
Managers and caretakers have the same mobile de-
vice, which they can use along the entire automation
pyramid. The management, automation and field lev-
els can all be accessed in a standardized manner using
a single operating device.
Thanks to wireless LAN (WiFi) and new mobile
telecommunications standards (3G), the machines
and systems can be accessed from almost anywhere.
Service technicians can check the settings from any-
where and take action if necessary while operators
can retain a clear overview of their systems at all times,
even when not on site, and access the key operating
data.
What are the benefits in practice?
At Saia-Burgess, we have tested and introduced the
principle in Production (see Control News 12, page
59).
Production staff can conveniently record down-
Manage-
ment
Automation
Field
iPad:
a single operating device breaks down the boundaries between the automation levels.
Production sites:
iPod in a case suitable for industry
Production sites:
operating data capture with the aid of an iPod
