A PC-based real time measurement system for factory automation on quality control and production control

The authors present a real-time measurement system for factory automation that improves the operations of quality control and production control. The factory under study has multiple production lines in separate areas. The system is designed to monitor quantities at all check points in the production line, to calculate exact man-hours worked during production, to measure all characteristic test data, and to convert the measurement data into analytical statistics. A local measurement unit (LMU) is designed using a Z-80 microprocessor, which handles all operational functions. The LMU is capable of bypass data transmission and cascade expansion for larger factory arrangements. The main system is designed with a PC-XT microcomputer for data storage and analysis. System analysis is described together with the automatic test procedures and time-sharing programming. It was found that significant improvement in operational efficiency and labor reduction for quality control and production control was achieved