Internet of Things and Automatic Control Systems
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The Internet of Things has been quite popular recently. I wonder what the difference is between the Internet of Things and automatic control systems? Can the Internet of Things and automatic control systems be integrated?
There is integration, for example, robot control is operated through automatic control, but the operation commands come from information from the Internet of Things.
A company specializing in the Internet of Things came to us (a well-known domestic company that develops configuration software); they showed us their previous projects, and those interfaces seemed a bit similar to those of upper-level control systems. It feels like a control system. Why not call it a control system?
This is closely related to e-commerce; it’s a term used in the IT industry. The Internet of Things involves a wide range of applications – for example, when you buy something on Amazon, you might be in Beijing, while Amazon’s data center is in Shanghai and the goods are delivered in Guangzhou (the delivery process is quite complex). Once the goods are loaded onto a truck, Amazon needs to know information about that truck, and that’s where GPS comes into play. The system is more connected to devices.
Our company is engaged in LNG transportation; we want to integrate the vehicles into the Internet of Things, and we also intend to include the control systems within this Internet of Things framework.
Combined with the network, it is somewhat similar to using robots in factories to replace workers; network technology focuses on data processing (as well as data collection and transmission). The automation of data processing leads to cost reduction and time savings (which are often a concern when project deadlines are tight), as well as to more efficient collection of the information needed for management. The more old processes that can be replaced, the greater the benefits that can be achieved. The cost-benefit ratio is not as straightforward as in the case of robots and humans; if one has the mindset to quantify these intangible factors, then implementing networking should be easier to achieve successfully. The remaining issues are purely technical ones, and money can solve them.