Over 200 IPCs power the modernization of the Kaisermühlen Tunnel in Vienna
PC-based control monitors road tunnel
PC-based building automation helps to create digital twins
Dongfeng Design Institute, China
More than 50 % of the world’s population currently lives in cities with over a million inhabitants, with forecasts suggesting that this figure is set to rise to 75 % by 2050. But with cities already accounting for three quarters of our global energy consumption, new urban planning concepts are essential for reducing CO2 emissions and ensuring sustainable coexistence in urban areas. This is where the smart city concept comes into play, with its many benefits including an environmentally friendly and stable energy supply, intelligent building automation, new mobility concepts, efficient traffic flows and enhanced public safety.
In this context, technology should not be seen as a driver of urban development, but as a means of making cities sustainable, improving both the quality of life and sense of community of their inhabitants. This requires carefully considered approaches to solutions, ranging from smart mobility concepts that combine public transport with motorized and non-motorized private transport, to the sustainable operation of buildings and even an efficient water and wastewater supply. Digital networking also supports the integration of energy generation and storage systems, which in turn makes a major contribution to grid stability. Another step toward bringing a smart city to life is the digitalization of local administrations, which – based on real data for factors such as air quality, energy and water quality – allows those responsible to maintain an overview and make quick decisions.
Our PC control technology is based on open standards and provides the ideal basis for digitizing buildings, infrastructure projects, water supply and disposal facilities and energy supplies. Continuous data recording and evaluation can generate valuable information to promote the intelligent operation of urban space, which includes factors such as operating buildings efficiently and reliably (by means of concepts such as energy monitoring and predictive maintenance), establishing a reliable energy supply (via smart grid) and optimizing traffic flows.
Your head start with PC-based control:
- uniform hardware and software platform for all technical systems
- open communication system to support all common protocols such as BACnet and OPC UA
- support of standards for edge and cloud concepts
- exceptional energy saving potential
- integration of measurement technology into the automation system
- reduced hardware, software, and operating costs
- lower engineering costs due to predefined software blocks
- potential for flexible system adaptations and expansions at any time
- network of our partner companies supports you in the realization of your solution
Intelligent automation increases energy efficiency and enhances quality of life in cities
Sustainable and intelligent automation of buildings
Emissions from the construction and operation of buildings are responsible for 38% of global energy-related CO2 emissions (2020 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction). In order to achieve the agreed climate targets, these emissions must be greatly reduced. Intelligent building automation and a higher-level digitization strategy are therefore among the key factors in smart city concepts.
As a pioneer in PC-based control technology, we have been a partner to the real estate industry of many years' standing. With our holistic approach to building automation, a sustainable, energy-efficient smart building concept can be implemented. All technical systems – from HVAC to lighting and facade control, and from room automation and AV/media technology to remote maintenance and cloud connectivity – are bundled on an integrated IT-based and PC-based automation platform. The evaluation and analysis of building data for the various functions can take place not only locally in the control but also in the cloud; edge and cloud concepts can be combined as required.
By integrating various building controls into our central, PC-based automation platform, buildings and neighborhoods can be networked with one another and integrated into sustainable smart city concepts. Since all functions run in the same software, future expansions are no problem. The scalability and modularity of our control means the I/O system can be expanded as required and software blocks can be reused when the time comes to add a new building function. This flexible expandability has a particularly beneficial effect in the area of renovation or refurbishment of existing buildings and creates the basis for an economically efficient and future-proof solution. In doing so, the extensive connectivity of our control facilitates communication with existing structures and devices.
PC-based control in use:
Achieving sustainability goals with innovative mobility solutions
Mobility plays a crucial role in the economic strength of cities and the quality of life they offer. But in view of ongoing urbanization and climate change, the expansion of transport infrastructure has long since reached its limits. With this in mind, what we need are intelligent concepts for implementing needs-based, future-proof mobility solutions that focus not only on reducing CO2 emissions, but also on the quality of life of city dwellers and on road safety.
These solutions include the switch to e-mobility, which encompasses the corresponding infrastructure; expansion and networking of public and non-motorized transport; intelligent controls for avoiding traffic congestion as well as the efficient management of parking spaces. Our control technology is already in use in many of these concepts – e.g., when it comes to collecting real-time data for controlling variable message signs or parking guidance systems. These situations call for fast and precise controls that can communicate with different services. Tunnel automation represents yet another example of intelligent traffic management, from traffic signal control and ventilation and lighting control, through to the integration of surveillance cameras that provide optimal views of congestion in real time. An accurate picture of traffic levels is created by capturing all available data through the automation system.
Our technology is also used in electric car production, as well as in cross-site monitoring and control of the charging process for electric cars, including the billing system. To avoid overloading the power grid, prioritization takes place, as for example when all charging stations in a parking garage are in operation at the same time. PC-based control is also perfectly suited here for networking with mobile devices, as well as for collecting and analyzing large amounts of data in the cloud.
PC-based control in use:
Digital transformation of logistics processes increases profitability and energy efficiency
High demands are placed on modern goods logistics: Driven by online retailing, logistics and distribution centers must reliably guarantee the availability of goods with maximum individualization and speed. For this reason, the industry has been relying on digital networking and automation from a very early stage.
The openness of our PC-based control system makes it ideal for optimizing logistics processes by networking production, intralogistics, and retail. We have been active in various areas of logistics for many years – including as a partner to large supermarket chains and their logistics centers. Standardized interfaces in hardware and software facilitate the smooth integration of control technology into new or existing plant structures and form the basis for efficient and reliable order processing.
City logistics optimizes traffic flows and reduces emissions
City logistics is a collective term for various concepts that relieve the burden on urban infrastructure while maintaining a constant quality of supply. The aim is to bundle flows of goods at the recipient location in a freight transport hub close to the city. Optimal organization and capacity utilization reduce the number of delivery trips in the urban area, while electric vehicles or cargo bikes that transport the goods in the city center further reduce emissions and relieve the burden on the urban infrastructure.
The prerequisite is optimum networking of all companies and processes involved in transport, as well as digitization of the required information. Our automation technology ensures that packages find the right way to the vehicle and that cold chains are not interrupted. It also has a role to play when goods take up less transport space by intelligently cutting the packages to an optimum size, thereby saving on emissions and resources.
Intelligent and environmentally friendly disposal logistic
As the volume of waste we produce worldwide steadily increases, so too does the importance of sustainable disposal logistics. It encompasses the entire process chain, from the separation of recyclables and route-optimized collection to the sorting and processing or recycling of waste. In essence, the aims are to optimize all processes through digitization and networking, to conserve resources, and to reduce CO2 emissions.
Sensor monitoring of the fill level of public waste containers makes it possible, for example, to optimize the routes of refuse collection vehicles in real time. The waste containers are only approached when they are almost full. But smart refuse solutions are also increasingly being integrated into building management: from sensor-monitored waste containers to automatic control of cleaning processes based on occupancy status. The data from the individual devices is collected and processed either locally or in the cloud. Underground pipe/vacuum systems for refuse collection, compaction, and disposal, as used in numerous pilot projects, also offer high potential for reducing disposal logistics.
PC-based control in use:
Digital networking ensures efficient energy supply
Optimizing energy efficiency through future-proof control solutions is one of the key criteria for sustainable development of urban living environments. Efficient solutions based on intelligent networking are in demand everywhere we look – from the generation of green energy in wind, photovoltaic, or biogas plants or in hydroelectric power stations to intelligent energy storage systems and the control of district heating systems.
Both the decentralized and irregular supply of energy from sustainable sources and bidirectional energy flows require intelligent networking of power generation and storage systems with consumers in smart grids.Feeding in energy information makes it is possible to react quickly to changes in the grid and, what's more, smart grids also offer the possibility of coordinating generation and demand with one another. In addition to the transmission of information to the consumer, this requires consumption information to be captured in a timely manner and transmitted promptly to the energy network via smart metering.
As an automation partner of long-standing to the wind industry and the photovoltaic industry, we have experience in fast wind farm networking, FLISR, decentralized fault location, localization and supply restoration, voltage and reactive power compensation, and power quality monitoring. Our tomation toolkit with the fast EtherCAT fieldbus provides the optimal basis for measuring energy and ensuring network stability.
Sophisticated requirements are also posed by the automation of intelligent storage systems, which have to compensate for frequency fluctuations when sustainable energy sources are fed into the grid and support the grid during production bottlenecks. This requires optimal energy storage management based on the continuous acquisition and monitoring of energy data and on rapid communication via telecontrol protocols. To fulfill this, our control technology supports all common communication standards. A comprehensive range of measurement modules enables the reliable acquisition of temperature, pressure and flow rate. Condition monitoring and power monitoring are also integrated into the automation platform via corresponding interfaces and form the basis for predictive maintenance and the evaluation of raw current and voltage data.
PC-based control in use:
Efficient and sustainable water supply
Today, planners and engineers in the field of water management are faced with more than just the challenge of ensuring the supply of clean drinking water and of reliable wastewater disposal. In view of increasing global population and demographic changes, the focus is increasingly on issues such as sustainability and efficiency in the use of water as a resource. This is where existing infrastructures often reach their limits, which means that partially outdated systems need to be retrofitted and new approaches tested. With regard to water management, an unusual complexity exists when it comes to adapting to different communication channels, controls, and devices, as a very wide variety of devices for solving special problems has come into use over the years. That's not forgetting, of course, the adaptations to various software packages, such as local visualization, on-site data loggers, and central control and operation management systems.
This is where our PC-based control technology offers the ideal solution: It is suitable as an integrated control platform for both the central control of a wastewater treatment plant and the decentralized control of various external stations, such as wells, pumping stations, rain overflow basins, water towers, grit chambers, pre-treatment, mechanical and biological treatment, sludge treatment and secondary treatment. The variety of interfaces allows our PC-based control to support all common communication media and standards into the higher process level, e.g., via OPC UA, as well as to the field level. Communication over long distances takes place via cloud, analog modem, radio, PC networks, or mobile networks. The openness of PC-based automation also facilitates adaptation to existing systems, meaning a plant retrofit to improve energy efficiency can be implemented without any problems.
PC-based control in use:
Tourism industry increasingly promoting sustainability
The tourism sector is the third largest socio-economic sector in the EU and plays a crucial role in growth and employment. The industry is facing up to criticism as an environmental offender and is massively promoting the topics of sustainability and digitization. Since 2019, the EU Commission has awarded two cities a year the title of 'EU Capital of Smart Tourism'. The award is presented to European cities that excel in the areas of sustainable, digital, innovative, and inclusive solutions in tourism.
When it comes to sustainability, aspects that are evaluated include recycling and refuse reclamation, the environmental certification of hotels and restaurants, greenhouse gas emissions, the accessibility of public transportation, and the availability of facilities such as rental bicycles and electric scooters. Another important criterion to consider is access to tourist services and products through new technologies, such as an app that guides visitors to attractions around the city and provides information about hotels and restaurants.
Interaction via smartphone has also had an impact on festivals, in amusement parks, or on cruise ships for informing guests about on-site attractions. Awareness of sustainability, energy efficiency, and environmental compatibility is also increasingly taking hold in these market segments, which are characterized by a high level of energy consumption.
PC-based control in use:
Beckhoff technology highlights for smart cities
The PC-based control principle: ideal for digitalizing smart cities
IT- and PC-based control technology from Beckhoff has proven itself worldwide since 1980 in the widest variety of industries and applications, from machine controllers and the automation of wind turbines to building automation. What was regarded 40 years ago as an outsider position has developed very quickly into a standard in the automation industry. Innovative product developments followed continuously and are regarded today as milestones in automation technology, such as the modular Bus Terminal system, the high-speed fieldbus EtherCAT, or the Embedded PC. The basis for the universal usability of the Beckhoff technology is its scalability in terms of power, its open interfaces to other systems, and the modularity of the hardware and software.
The basic principle of IT- and PC-based control technology is incredibly simple: It is based on a powerful Industrial PC, flexible and high-performance fieldbus connections with the connected peripheral devices for sensors and actuators, as well as TwinCAT, the real-time capable automation software. The consistent use of technologies from the world of IT and their convergence to principles of automation technology have led to a continuous increase in performance and function as well as a considerable reduction in the costs of PC-based control technology. With PC-based control, all automation functions can be mapped centrally in a single piece of software. These include:
- programming and configuration (PLC)
- motion control
- individual visualization of data (HMI)
- measurement technology and analysis functions
- diagnostics and condition monitoring
- connection to various cloud services and web servers
- machine learning and artificial intelligence
Your advantage with PC-based control:
- High performance for energy-optimized control of processes through:
- Industrial PCs with powerful processors of the latest generation
- TwinCAT, the software for engineering and real-time control
- EtherCAT, the high-speed fieldbus
- Integration: one controller for all technical systems in smart cities
- Modularity: extension and modification of control functions at any time
- Scalability: components in all performance categories and designs
- Openness: connection of all standardized fieldbuses
- Connectivity: simple and secure communication from the sensor to the cloud
- High availability: due to advanced diagnostics and predictive maintenance functions
- Interfaces to all common databases for historization
- Beckhoff as a full system supplier with a deep understanding of technology and a qualified partner network
TwinCAT: the integrated engineering and control platform
As an integrated tool for engineering, run-time, and modeling, TwinCAT simplifies the automation of complex processes: with TwinCAT, you only need one piece of software for programming and configuring your controller. TwinCAT offers an extensive package of functions and preconfigured modules for controlling all of the technical systems in a smart city. With its modular and scalable design, the software can be customized to meet the precise requirements of your application. The Integration of TwinCAT into Visual Studio allows automation objects to be programmed in parallel using IEC 61131-3 and the C or C++ languages, simplifying project handling and the process of working in teams. As for the objects that are generated (modules), these are able to call and exchange data with each other regardless of the language they were written in.
TwinCAT 3 Highlights:
- programming and configuration in a single software
- Visual Studio integration
- support with the object-oriented extension of IEC 61131-3
- use of C/C++ as a programming language for real-time applications
- link to MATLAB® and Simulink®
- integrated motion control solution – including NC PTP, robotics, and CNC
- open interfaces for expandability and adaptation to existing tool landscape
- flexible run-time environment with active support for multi-core CPUs
- support for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems (Windows, TwinCAT/BSD)
- automatic code generation and project creation with the TwinCAT Automation Interface
- connection to all common fieldbuses
- PC interfaces (network, PCI, USB, hard disk) supported
- data connection to user interfaces and other programs using open standards
(OPC UA, MQTT, ModBus, BacNet, ADS, etc.)
Beckhoff supports all communication standards
The powerful, PC-based automation platform takes care of control, data processing, connectivity, visualization, remote maintenance, and cloud connection. Due to the open interfaces in software and hardware, it is optimally suited to the central or decentralized control of technical infrastructure in a smart city. Our control technology opens up the degree of freedom required for the flexible use of various IT architectures – edge and cloud concepts can be used individually. The different application areas in a smart city interact with one another on a technical level and share data. Beckhoff technology enables these individual components in the city to be networked so that synergy effects can be utilized to optimal effect. PC-based control can therefore be used to integrate the different industry-specific communication standards in one system. For example, the following protocols can be integrated:
- Building: KNX, LON, Dali, BACnet, DMX, SMI, MP-Bus, M-Bus, EnOcean, RS232/RS485, Modbus, Ethernet TCP/IP, FIAS, etc.
- A/V and media technology: sACN, SMPTE timecode, Art-Net™, AES 70 (OCA), PosiStageNet and PJLink, etc.
- Infrastructure and energy: IEC 61850, IEC 61400-XX, GOOSE, IEC 60870-5-10X, MQTT, OPC UA, IEEE 1588, etc.
From big data to smart data: intelligent use of data as basis for new business models
Data acquisition:
Each application and each form of IT infrastructure places different demands on the method of collecting data: SQL or noSQL, file-based, local or remote, or cloud-based data lake. For all these scenarios, there are a large number of established TwinCAT products available.
Data analysis:
TwinCAT Analytics enables comprehensive data analysis: from data acquisition, communication, and historization of data to evaluation. The collected data can also be displayed in web-based dashboards. All of the information for predictive maintenance can be derived from the data with the appropriate analysis tools.
Machine learning:
TwinCAT Machine Learning is the solution for machine learning (ML) that is integrated into TwinCAT. Building on standards, it brings the advantages of system openness familiar from PC-based control to ML applications. In addition, the execution of ML models is implemented in real time. The idea behind machine learning is to no longer follow the classic engineering route of designing solutions for specific tasks and then turning these solutions into algorithms, but rather to enable the algorithm to be learned from model data instead. We offer a closed workflow for the entire cycle from data collection through model training to deployment of the trained model.
High-speed communication with EtherCAT
The EtherCAT high-speed fieldbus has all the necessary and desired features for networking the control and measurement data in smart cities and for communicating with cloud services. On account of its high bandwidth, EtherCAT is suitable for processing not just all standard signals, but also highly precise measurement technology signals. The large number of EtherCAT interfaces enables standard fieldbuses such as PROFINET, DeviceNet, and others to be seamlessly integrated in the field. The system can also be set up with cable redundancy.
The general advantages of EtherCAT are:
- high speed
- simple diagnostics
- flexible topology
- control of up to 65,000 devices
- EtherCAT allows the transmission of up to 64 kbit per slave
- perfect synchronization
Beckhoff product highlights for smart cities
Ideal as a controller or edge device in smart cities: the C60xx series
Launched with the C6015, the series of ultra-compact Industrial PCs has positioned itself extremely successfully on the market due to its flexible application possibilities. As a sturdy control cabinet Industrial PC with an Intel® Atom™ CPU with up to four cores and a clock speed of 1.91 GHz, the C6015 is suitable for automation, visualization, and communication tasks. The small dimensions of 82 x 82 x 40 mm and the flexible mounting options make the fanless multi-core PC the ideal controller for applications with high performance requirements and minimal installation space in almost all areas of a smart city. In addition to being used for a wide range of automation tasks, the C6015 is suitable for use as an IoT gateway or edge device, particularly in Industrie 4.0 applications.
- The C6017 multi-core computer, which measures just 82 x 82 x 66 mm, adds a variant to the family with additional optional interfaces.
- Due to its high computing power, the C6025 is particularly suitable for demanding control applications that also take into account the aspect of green IT. The basis for this is the Intel® Core™ i U processor, which consumes significantly less power.
- The C6030 offers advantages such as low space requirements and flexible mounting, even for complex applications with the highest performance requirements.
- The C6032 has a further board level for modular interface and function extensions. The use of compact PCIe modules allows it to be perfectly adapted to the respective application and requirement profile.
The universal basic function block for automation
The I/O signals are wired decentralized to fieldbus devices or centrally to the controller. The available vendor-specific fieldbus devices with fixed input/output configurations and design often make it necessary to use an entire group of devices with similar functions. This complex signal acquisition results in high material, installation, design, and documentation expenditures as well as high costs for later changes or extensions. With our communication terminals, fieldbus functionalities are also available in the form of a standard Bus Terminal. This is particularly advantageous for bus systems that are integrated into a higher-level system, as it means that only one system is required for the subsystem and for the higher-level bus interface.
Integrated energy consumption measurement in smart buildings
Energy efficiency plays an important role in building automation. In order to save costs, energy consumption must be reduced and processes optimized. For the energy management of buildings and plants, it is necessary to record the consumption of water, electricity, and heat at the shortest possible intervals.
For the support of cost-optimizing energy management systems, our PC-based control offers the possibility to monitor, measure, and analyze energy data via a monitoring system that is completely integrated in the standard controller. Specific I/O components allow the highly precise and transparent acquisition of all energy data in a building. The data are processed and analyzed by the TwinCAT control software. Saving potential can be fully exploited, thereby creating the basis for DIN EN ISO 50001 compliance. With a broad portfolio of Bus Terminals and EtherCAT Terminals for energy metering, Beckhoff provides suitable technology for the ongoing monitoring of energy consumption as well as for the detailed consumption analysis.
Beckhoff terminals for direct current measurement:
Software tools and libraries for building automation
In order to make the engineering of applications in building automation as efficient and simple as possible, we have developed an extensive construction kit of software tools, libraries, and application samples. This is based on the free programming environment TwinCAT Engineering (TE1000). It allows programming according to IEC 61131-3 and gives the system user maximum flexibility in solving tasks.
The basic functions for the automation of all technical systems of building automation – from simple logic blocks and PID controllers to lamella setpoint tracing in relation to the sun’s position – are included in the TwinCAT 3 Building Automation library (TF8040). With the function blocks from the Building Automation library, system integrators have an extensive portfolio of ready-to-use applications, or “templates,” at their disposal. These are tried-and-tested and well-documented program blocks, ranging from applications in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technology to the room automation functions of solar protection and lighting control. They simplify the system integrator’s familiarization with the system and ensure a high level of system functionality. This increases the quality of the execution as well as the reusability of the programs created.
For the integration of the Beckhoff automation stations into the higher management and control level, the communication via BACnet and OPC UA is integrated directly into the templates. Depending on the desired communication protocol, the TwinCAT functions TwinCAT 3 OPC UA (TF6100) and TwinCAT 3 BACnet/IP (TF8020) are available for this.
With the TwinCAT 3 IoT Data Agent (TF6720), the PC-based control platform is “ready for cloud.” It independently collects the process data configured for the purpose and transfers it to a communication or data service in the Microsoft Azure™ or Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud; alternatively, it sends the process data to an MQTT or AMQP message broker.
The system operation and parameterization can be carried out on site on the control cabinet via touch panel or remotely by means of an integrated HTML5 web visualization. For higher demands regarding operating functionality and for support for web technologies, such as a responsive design, the software library TwinCAT HMI (TF2000) is recommended. It supports all basic operating and monitoring functions, such as system graphics, alarm and event lists, scheduling, and trends.
TwinCAT HMI: the quick way to an individual user interface
TwinCAT HMI consistently relies on widely used IT standards such as HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS. The integration of a full graphic editor with an extensive toolbox into the familiar TwinCAT Engineering environment makes it possible to create extensive visualization pages with little effort. Customer-specific functions that are not part of the visualization toolbox can be implemented via the above-mentioned IT standards or higher-level programming languages. The visualizations created are independent of the client’s platform and are responsive. Numerous application scenarios are possible, from the local panel solution to multi-client, multi-server, and multi-run-time concepts.
Beckhoff relies on IT standards:
- Visual Studio® for engineering
- HTML5 for design
- TLS for secure communication
- Execution of the user interface on any HTML-capable browser, regardless of operating system, resolution, and display
Building Automation
PC-based control from Beckhoff integrates all building automation functions on one control platform.
Warehouse and distribution logistics
Scalable with high performance: PC-based control for control and drive technology tasks in warehouse and distribution logistics.
Energy and power measurement
IoT-enabled solutions for consumption transparency in machines and power distribution systems
Wind turbines
More than 125,000 wind turbines worldwide up to a size of 16 MW have already been automated with Beckhoff technology.
Entertainment industry
Ultimate guest experience: PC-based control for the entertainment industry