Page 1205 - The Mechatronics Handbook

FIGURE 48.2

Some applications are in areas where having computers located adjacent to the measurements is not
plausible. Distributed input–output devices are available for these types of applications. The digitizing
and conditioning hardware is connected back to the computer via a serial, RF, or Ethernet connection.
Various types of measurements can be brought into the computer and sent from the computer in
today’s measurement and automation applications. Image acquisition devices and motion controllers
can also be integrated into most measurement applications.

48.3 A Look Ahead

Today’s software incorporates the power of the Internet and standard communication protocols, making
the development of networked measurement applications simple, whether collecting data across the Web
or publishing data via a Web browser.
This integration of the Web opens the door to new levels of software architecture that include entire
enterprises. Engineers and scientists increasingly understand that acquiring and analyzing data is only a
part of the equation. Data from these tests can be stored in central databases where it can be shared with
peers. This sharing or management of data can lead to powerful efficiencies. Re-analysis of tests, compar-
isons of tests, and combinations of data can lead to new understandings and better decision-making.
Setting up these management systems requires a web of data collection, data repository, and reporting
and analysis systems—all of which can be set up on computers.
Equally powerful changes are occurring with computer-based hardware. Embedded processors can now
run real-time operating systems that perform deterministic tasks independently of the computer’s CPU.
Developing real-time applications now can occur on a familiar desktop computer and Microsoft Windows-
based environment. It opens a whole wealth of applications to engineers who are not steeped in the
intricacies of traditional real-time programming but need the demanding performance that it delivers.
The instrumentation industry has always leveraged common available technologies to create power
test equipment. Computer-based technologies and the Internet have enabled the measurement and
automation community to create more customized solutions that are more connected to the everyday
world than ever before.

©2002 CRC Press LLC