Industrial inspection
Inspection system controller and operator software
- Our scope
- PLC hardware, control firmware, operator software
- Outcome
- Deployed in India: one team for the PLC hardware, control logic and operator software.
Case study · Industrial weighing
In-motion weighing controller: four boards in one hardened enclosure
An industrial controller that weighs vehicles in motion and combines weighing indication, thermal printing, an operator display and industrial connectivity in a single hardened enclosure.
- Our scope
- Hardware, firmware, software
- Controller
- NXP LPC1788, Arm Cortex-M3
- Boards
- Four PCBs; six-layer main board
- Status
- Field-deployed
Application and problem
Weighbridges and in-line checkweighers have to capture a vehicle's weight while it moves, then show it, print it and pass it to other systems.
The requirement was one controller that does all of that: weighing indication, thermal printing, an operator interface and industrial connectivity, in a single hardened enclosure.
Constraints
What the design had to accommodate, as recorded for the project.
- Weighing indication, printing, the operator display and connectivity all inside one enclosure
- Four industrial links on the same controller: Ethernet, USB, RS485 and RS232
- Mixed signals beside the processor: two analog inputs (0–20 mA, 4–20 mA or 0–10 V), two 4–20 mA outputs and an encoder input
- Thermal-printer control, USB logging and a real-time clock for dated records
Our scope
- The six-layer main PCB and its bring-up
- Firmware for the operator interface, printing and the industrial interfaces
- Software: an ASP.NET application, Azure data storage, dashboards and an Android app with Modbus TCP
Delivered by our engineering team. The client’s name is withheld for confidentiality; references are available on request. Some customer projects are contracted through our sister company, which the same team runs (see About).
Architecture
- FieldWeighing and line inputsTwo analog inputs (0–20 mA, 4–20 mA or 0–10 V) · two 4–20 mA outputs · isolated encoder interface
- ControllerSix-layer main boardNXP LPC1788 (Cortex-M3, LQFP-208) · external RAM, Flash and EEPROM · RTC · brownout protection
- FirmwareBootloader, Keil RTOS and emWin GUITCP/IP stack · Modbus RTU and TCP · PID control · printer output · USB logging
- OperatorDisplay and printing24-bit LCD · thermal printer
- SoftwareApplication, cloud and appASP.NET application · Azure storage and dashboards · Android app with Modbus TCP
Engineering decisions
Design choices recorded for this project, and what each one provides.
| Design choice | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Main controller on a six-layer board | The LPC1788 and its external memory sit on the six-layer main board, one of four PCBs in the product. |
| Isolated encoder interface | Keeps the encoder's field wiring electrically separate from the controller. |
| Brownout protection | Guards the controller against dips in the supply. |
| Bootloader | Lets the firmware be updated after the board is built. |
| Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP | Other plant equipment and software can read the controller over RS485 or Ethernet. |
Validation performed
- Board bring-up of the main controller
- Validation across all communication channels: Ethernet, USB, RS485 and RS232
Measured results from this project are not published.
Documented outcome
Field-deployed: installed in weighbridges and in-line checkweighers, with event-wise readout in the cloud.
Related
Services used on this project
Other case studies
Wireless automation
Wireless automation hardware
- Our scope
- RF and power hardware, protection, firmware
- Outcome
- Delivered: wireless boards, receiver power hardware and protection circuits, with firmware and bring-up.
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