Leveraging Wireless Devices for Networked Control Systems in Industrial Applications

Abstract

Networked controlsystems (NCSs) are distributed control system in which sensors, actuators andcontrollers are physically separated and connected through communicationnetworks. NCS represent the evolution of networked control architecturesproviding greater modularity and control decentralization, ease maintenance anddiagnosis and lower cost of implementation. A recent trend in this researchtopic is the development of NCS using wireless networks (WNCS) which enableinteroperability between existing wired and wireless systems. This paperpresents the feasibility analysis of using serial to wireless converter as awireless sensor link in NCS. In order to support this investigation, relevantperformance metrics for wireless control applications such as jitter, timedelay and messages lost are highlighted and calculated to evaluate the wirelessconverter capabilities. In addition the control performance of an implementedmotor control system using the converter is analyzed. Experimental results ledto the conclusion that serial ZigBee device is recommended against theBluetooth as it provided better metrics for control applications. However, bothdevices can be used to implement WNCS providing transmission rates and closedcontrol loop times which are acceptable for NCS applications. Moreover the useof the wireless device delay in the PID controller discretization can improvethe control performance of the system.