These features mean that machine builders and system designers can eliminate the need for separate subsystems within complex machines and consolidate functionality into a single controller. They are said to simplify system complexity, decrease system cost and reduce overall footprint by integrating different types of I/O, including vision and motion, control and processing into a single, high-performance controller.
To meet the evolving demands of today’s industrial IoT applications, designers need products that bring together computation, connectivity and control. The IC-3173 industrial controller addresses these requirements with key features that include Dual-core Intel i7 processors combined with user-programmable Xilinx Kintex-7 160T FPGAs for advanced signal and image processing, customisable digital I/O and high-speed closed-loop control.
The module also features five Gigabit Ethernet ports with four that include PoE support and two USB 3.0 ports for connecting to and processing images from multiple cameras simultaneously; support for EtherCAT Master, Ethernet/IP, RS232/RS485, Modbus serial and Modbus/TCP to communicate with other devices such as PLCs and operator interfaces; and LabVIEW system design software support for customising control algorithms, performing image processing and executing advanced analytics
