The required of software capabilities not only highly developed software, but also an amplify in the controllers hardware capabilities. Many vendors of semiconductor started to redesign their products for applications of industries with the decline in world-wide demand for components of PC. Control suppliers nowadays are integrating industrial versions processors of floating point, DRAM, devices of solid-state storage for example fast Ethernet chipsets and CompactFlash, into products of industrial control. This allows manufacturers to build up more powerful software with the usability and elasticity of PC-based control systems that can work on reliability of real-time operating systems.
ARC’s analysts Industry named these devices PACs (programmable automation controllers). In their study, ARC acknowledged 5 main characteristics of PAC. These criterion characterize the controller functionality by defining the capabilities of software:
1. Functionality of multi-domain, as a minimum 2 of logic, PID control, motion, drives, and process on a single platform. Excluding for some disparities in I/O to address particular protocols such as process, logic, PID, motion, and SERCOS are basically a software function. For example, movement control is a control loop of software which interprets digital inputs from an encoder of quadrature, executes analog control loops, and outputs a signal analog to control a drive.
2. Single development platform of multi-discipline integrating general tagging and a single access database to all functions and parameters. As PACs are planned for more sophisticated applications for instance multi-domain designs, they need more sophisticated software. In order to create system design proficient, the software have to be a single incorporated package of software instead of dissimilar tools of software which are not engineered to flawlessly run together.
3. Tools of software that let the design by flow of process across some machines or process units, simultaneously with IEC61131-3, data management, and user guidance. The other parts that make simpler system design is high level development tools of graphical that build it simple to convert a concept of the process into system that really controls the machine.
4. Open the architectures of modular that mirror applications of industry from layouts machine in factories to operations unit in process plants. Since all applications of industries need major customization, the hardware has to present modularity so the engineer can select and prefer the suitable components. The software have to facilitate the engineer to eliminate and add modules to design the necessary system.
5. Utilize standards de-facto for languages, interfaces network, etc., for instance OPC & XML, SQL queries, and TCPIP. Communication with project networks is vital for systems of modern control.