Human-computer interaction in flatness control-an intranet-based approach

Intranet information servers are increasingly used for human-machine interaction (HMI) in real-time control applications. As compared to office-based applications, industrial HMI servers give rise to specific questions regarding the compatibility of the intranet architecture with the traditional real-time architecture and services. This paper presents results following practical experience with an intranet HMI interface used for flatness control systems in cold rolling mills. Different aspects of the design approach are illustrated by a working system. The key result reported in the paper is that real-time intranet-based HMI approaches must consider certain constraints for the overall architecture of the control system. The properties of this architecture are described and evaluated practically