SRI KRISHNA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MECHATRONICS

R.Siva subramanian,
Assistant Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engineering
 In instrumentation systems data acquisition system plays an important
role.
 It is widely used in industries, plants, process control and so on.
 The function of data acquisition system is to collect the input data
(either in analog and digital form) efficiently, accurately and
simultaneously store and display the data.
 Data is nothing but the signals obtained either from output of
transducers (e.g. thermocouple, thermistor, strain gauge, etc.),
 or direct measurement of electrical parameters such as AC or DC
voltage, current, frequency, resistance and so on.
 A Data acquisition system consist of individual sensor or transducer associated
with signal conditioning element, multiplexer circuit, data conversion, data
transmission, and the final stage storage element and display unit.
 Mostly analog data received from different ends is converted into digital form for
accurate and fast processing.
 It is also provide the facility of storage (temporary or permanent) and display and
transmission of signals without complex circuitry.
 Due to conversion of signals (analog to digital), microprocessors and
microcomputers can easily be interfaced for measurement of complex
parameters and controlling the processes
Does the system match my application?
 What is the measurement resolution, accuracy and noise performance?
 How fast does it scan?

How much does it cost?

 Is software included, or is it extra?
 Does it require signal conditioning add-ons?
 What is the warranty period?

How easy is it to use?

 Can the specifications be understood?
 What is the user interface like?
 How difficult is it to reconfigure for new applications?
 it is used for handling only one input channel.
 As the input signal is conditioned or improved by a single
conditioned or improved by a signal conditioning element, it is fed
to an analog to digital converter.
 This conversion is repetitive at free running internally determined
rate.
 Digital data or information is fed to DPM (digital panel meters) to
digital computer for analysis .
 External convert command is used to provide the conversion
command externally from analog to digital signals and hold it
 This system is applicable where several input channels are
measurement and controlling.
 It consists of individual transducer or sensor and signal conditioning
element for every channel.
 Such conditioned signals are converted into digital signals by using
analog to digital converter sequentially through multiplexer circuit.
 This system has one to “n” analog inputs with respective signal
conditioning elements.
 The sample and hold circuit (S/H) is provided to increase the speed
with accurate conversion.
 This circuit is used to store or hold one signal while other is in
analog to digital converter.
 Officially, RS-232 is defined as the “Interface between
data terminal equipment and data communications
equipment using serial binary data exchange.”
 This definition defines data terminal equipment (DTE) as
the computer, while data communications equipment
(DCE) is the modem.
 A modem cable has pin-to-pin connections, and is
designed to connect a DTE device to a DCE device.
 IEEE-488 refers to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) Standard number 488.
 This standard was first established in 1978, 13 years after Hewlett-
Packard (HP) of Palo Alto, CA, began work to enable its broad range
of instruments to communicate with one another and with “host”
computers.
 Today, IEEE-488 is the most widely recognized and used method for
communication among scientific and engineering instruments.
 Major stand-alone general purpose instrument vendors include
IEEE-488 interfaces in their products.
 Many vertical market instrument makers also rely on IEEE-488 for
data communications and control.
 IEEE-488 controllers support a variety of personal computers, from
the IBM PC/XT/AT and PS/2 and compatibles to the multifaceted
Macintosh family.
 The IEEE-488 interface, sometimes called the General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB), is
a general purpose digital interface system that can be used to transfer data between two
or more devices.
 It is particularly well suited for interconnecting computers and instruments. Some of its
key features are:
 Up to 15 devices may be connected to one bus
 Total bus length may be up to 20 m and the distance between devices may be up to 2 m
 Communication is digital (as opposed to analog) and messages are sent one byte (8
bits) at a time
 Message transactions are hardware hand shaked
 Data rates may be up to 1 Mbyte /sec
 When information is placed on the data lines, it can represent either a data byte or a
command.
 If the Attention bus management line (ATN) is asserted while the data is transferred,
then the data lines are carrying a multiline command to be received by every bus
device.
 If ATN is not asserted, then a data byte is being transferred, and only the Active
Listeners receive that byte.
 The IEEE-488 bus also has a number of uniline commands that are carried on a
single bus management line.
 For example, the Interface Clear (IFC) line, when asserted, sends the Interface Clear
command to every bus device, causing each to reset its IEEE-488 bus interface.
 An Ethernet Switch is a LAN interconnection device which operates at the data link

layer (layer 2) of the OSI reference model.

 A switch is fundamentally similar to a bridge, but usually supports a larger

number of connected LAN segments and has a richer management capability.

 Modern LANs have increasingly replaced the shared media with a switched media,

by installing Ethernet switches and bridges in place of hubs and repeaters.

 These logically partition the traffic to travel only over the network segments on

the path between the source and the destination.

 This reduces the wastage of bandwidth which results from sending the packet to

parts of the network which do not need to receive the data.

 Ethernet uses a protocol called CSMA/CD, this stands for Carrier Sense, Multiple
Access with Collision Detection.
 Carrier Sense - When a device connected to an Ethernet network wants to
send data it first checks to make sure it has a carrier on which to send its data
(usually a piece of copper cable connected to a hub or another machine).
 Multiple Access - This means that all machines on the network are free to use the
network whenever they like so long as no one else is transmitting.
 Collision Detection - A means of ensuring that when two machines start to transmit
data simultaneously, that the resultant corrupted data is discarded, and re-
transmissions are generated at differing time interval
 “The programmable logic controller is
defined as a digital electronic device that
uses a programmable memory to store
instructions and to implement functions
such as logic, sequencing, timing, counting
and arithmetic words to control machines
and processes.”
 Any computer having input and output interfaces can be
used to control external devices.
 However most of the computers are not industrially
hardened.
 Input / Output devices of general-purpose microcomputers
are not engineered to handle line-voltages and currents
above transistor-transistor logic (TTL) levels.
 Also they are not designed to with-stand the temperature,
humidity, and vibration on shop floors.
 These drawbacks of a general purpose computer have been
rectified by developing a Programmable Logic Controller
(PLC) with built-in isolation into their inputs and outputs.
 The programmable logic controller was first used in
manufacturing in the late 1960's and now are the
most common choice for manufacturing controls.
 The initial design for the PLC was to eliminate the
large cost involved in replacing the complicated relay
based machine control systems for car
manufacturers.
 The first commercial PLC was manufactured by
Bedford Associates and was called the Modular
Digital Controller (MODICON).
 The benefits of the PLC were that as the production
needs changed the control system needed to be
changed, and with a PLC this was easily performed.
 Before the PLC the control systems were made of relays
and changes were expensive and complicated,
 but the PLC was based on simple programming that could
be performed by plant maintenance engineers.
 The PLC had to be designed to withstand a production
environment, and the PLC developed into a rugged piece of
equipment that could be used on the harshest shop floor.
 By 1973 communications between PLC's had been
developed using something called the Modbus.
 It allowed PLC's to be some distance from the machines
they controlled.
 It was the 1980's before a communications standard was
developed by General Motors called the manufacturing
automation protocol (MAP).
 Using PLC's on the production line is cheaper
than using a relay as they are cheaper,
programmable, and excellent for controlling
outputs.
 They are designed to withstand hard
environments and can last for many years.
The downside of using a PLC is that is cannot
maintain any large amounts of data.
 The PLC has small memory and the computer
is a better option when significant data
collection is required.
 PLCs are generally used for incorporating
automation in open loop systems where processes
are to be performed in a sequential manner.

 PLCs are used for automation of assembly lines in

industries. They are generally designed for multiple
input multiple output (MIMO) systems.

 In PLCs, instructions are saved in nonvolatile

memory.
Some of the advantages of PLCs are:

• Cost effective
• Flexibility and ability to use similar system
for other processes
• Programming interface is easier in
comparison to other processers
• Resistant to impact and vibration
• Resistant towards electrical and
mechanical noise
• Ability to work at high temperatures
 Block diagram shows the basic elements of a PLC.
It is basically a microprocessor based control
system.
 Microprocessor communicates with the outside
world with input/output devices via a circuitry.
 This circuitry protects the microprocessor and
other elements of PLC from the high voltages and
currents coming to the PLC.
 Microprocessor does its basic functions of taking
decisions according to the instructions written in
the programs which are stored in the memory.
 PLC scans a set of sensor inputs rapidly and
repeatedly. Then it evaluates their logic
relationships to defined outputs according to
a logic program.
 At last it sets the outputs according to the

programmed logic.
 industrial PLC shows the input and output

ports of PLC.
 Sequence control applications
 Process control applications
 Motion control applications
Ref-W.Bolten
 The above circuit is represented in Ladder
logic as shown in figure below (only the low
voltage circuit is used in ladder logic
diagrams):
 The above diagram can be expressed in
Boolean logic “Motor Coil = Switch”, ie if the
Switch is on the Motor coil is energized and
Motor is activated.
 All ladder logic takes the form of that shown

in Figure above.
 Thus it connects the positive and neutral rail

representing positive and negative power

supply to the relay.
The three most common instructions in
ladder logic are: