Product category:
Displays and remote terminal units
News Release from: Litre Meter | Subject: Engine test HMI
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 February 2008
Engine test HMI for automotive industry
Litre Meter partnered with Sierra Instruments to supply a new Human Machine Interface (HMI) for flow measurement in engine compression testing applications in the automotive industry
The new HMI can be used in conjunction with a range of Litre Meter mass flow meters to automatically control testing processes and monitor such things as the flow of gas in and out of cylinders It is designed for use both in R + D applications and on the factory floor for quality control systems
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 19 Jan 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The HMI communicates with the flowmeter and the test system using the Modbus protocol, enabling the user to have full touch control over the testing process.
It uses a touch screen with a mini control system to communicate with most Sierra and Litre Meter flowmeters.
Since users can easily build programmes in the HMI, illustrated with clear interactive pictures on the touch-screen it is possible to create an intuitive system.
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The LMX range of Pelton wheel flow meters offer the low flow performance and reliability of the existing LM/MM range, with increased pressure and temperature rating at a competitive price
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This HMI can create set-points, generate alarms, and follow predefined steps based on external signals.
It can be applied to diverse systems including gas mix and ratio control systems, dilution systems and test equipment.
As a result the HMI system is ideal in engine testing applications for the automotive industry.
It can also be adapted for testing other car parts and systems including brakes.
The user can communicate with flowmeters in the process easily by touching images on the screen to initiate pre-programmed activities.
The HMI package is compatible with most Litre Meter instruments and can be used to open and close valves or set flow rates by simply touching the relevant graphic on screen.
Modbus was chosen as the protocol for this HMI because it is the most widely used communication protocol for industrial applications.
Modbus enables reliable and low cost digital and wireless communication between Litre Meter instruments and other devices.
It also includes an ethernet connection via Modbus TCP/IP enabling the effective connection of the instruments to programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.
Modbus TCP/IP takes Modbus instruction sets and wraps TCP/IP around them.
Development costs are low and minimum hardware is required, as the system can be adapted to any operating system.
Standard PC Ethernet cards can be used to talk to the newly implemented device and, as their performance improves from 10 to100 Mb and soon to 1 Gb, the user technology moves with it, protecting investment and future proofing the application.
In addition, Modbus is an open platform, available free of charge for download, and there are no subsequent licensing fees.
Additional sample code, implementation examples and diagnostics are available on the Modbus TCP toolkit, a free benefit to Modbus-IDA members and available for purchase by non-members.
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