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TSENTRY is a general-purpose, stand-alone process control computing platform. It comes complete with all facilities required to support deterministic real-time program repetition rates as fast as 1 millisecond. It provides a basic computing platform for hosting custom monitoring, control, and signal processing applications.

This platform utilizes industry standard hardware architecture, system software, program development facilities, human-machine interface facilities, and communications protocols. This reduces the cost and complexity of expanding and upgrading the system as necessary to keep abreast of rapidly changing computing technology.

The following sections provide an overview of the TSENTRY system and general information about its operation.

 TSENTRY Documentation Overview

The TSENTRY documentation is available in two formats:

The TSENTRY documentation is divided into the following sections.

  • Introduction
    Description of overall functionality and the main components of the system.

  • Technical Specifications
    Technical and internal specifications.

  • Installation
    Installation and configuration information for NT, communications, OPC, TSENTRY-specific instructions, and the disk directory organization.

  • Standard Tasks
    Description of Startup and Shutdown tasks.

  • Libraries
    Description of standard libraries included with the system.

  • VB Screen Building
    A document with user information on building web screens using VB controls and our screen builder procedures.

  • Standard Screens
    A description of standard screens: Probe, ProbeA, ProbeV, and TrendX.

  • Program Development
    Program development environment and procedures.

  • Procedures
    Procedures for day to day operation of the real-time control system.

  • Trend System
    Describes the trend system, TrendSets, and standard trend screens.

  • I/O Drivers
    Description of the optional process I/O drivers available for TSENTRY.

  • Data Dictionary
    Descriptions of how to build a data dictionary, the application program interface, maintenance procedures, and file formats.

  • Data Transfer
    Data transfer methods for sharing data with external systems.

  • Workstation Configuration
    Procedures for configuring a workstation for use with the TSENTRY System.

  • Options
    Optional Extensions to the TSENTRY System.

  • Resources
    Reference documents for use with TSENTRY, Windows 2000, VenturCom RTX, TCP/IP, and additional resources

  • Thin Client

 Major Components of the TSENTRY System

The Tsentry process control system is based on the following major constituent pieces:

  • Standard IBM PC System

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Operating System

  • VenturCom Real-time Extensions

  • TelePro supplied libraries for system resource management

  • Standard System processes for startup, shutdown, and backup

  • Shell applications for system processes

  • Software Development procedures

  • Process I/O Drivers

  • Data Dictionary building and management functions

  • Web Browser based High Speed, Real-Time HMI system

  • Real-Time and Historical Trending system

 Example Host Hardware System Environment
  • Standard IBM PC hardware

  • Equivalent to standard desktop system specification in mini-tower cabinet

  • PC based hardware with AGP, PCI, and ISA bus

  • 450MHZ Pentium 3

  • 320MB memory

  • 13GB disk (removable tray)

  • Spare (backup) disk drive

  • Ethernet adapter for interface to area process Network (non 3Com controller)

  • Ethernet adapter for Process I/O interface (3Com 3C905)

  • Graphics Controller

  • Read/Write CD

  • Optional: One (1) spare system for backup, development, testing…

 Process Control Operating System Environment
  • Standard Windows 2000 Operating System

  • Service Pack 1 (or latest)

  • Real-Time extensions (VenturCom RTX)

  • Windows 2000 Web services

  • TCP/IP Networking services

  • Multi-threaded operating system

  • All functionality available at workstation is available at console

  • Program development done at console and at any workstation

 Workstation Environment
  • Standard Windows 2000 or XP Operating System

  • Web-based screens

  • Integrated with shop floor

 Real-Time Extensions
  • No impact on standard NT operation

  • Simple library of Real-Time extensions for NT system

  • Three process task types:

    • Standard Microsoft Windows 2000 processes

    • Standard Microsoft Windows 2000 Real-Time Processes

    • Hard VenturCom RTX Real-Time processes

  • Hard Real-Time Processes

    • Strictly priority based

    • Processes will Run to completion

  • Real-Time processes run ahead of all Windows processes

  • Additional Real-Time Features:

    • Thread creation

    • Timers

    • Interrupts

    • Mutex objects

    • Semaphores

    • Events

    • Global shared memory areas

 Application Process Environment
  • May use any or all of the three process types

  • System and Application Software built using Visual C/C++

  • All developed by Microsoft Visual Studio Tools

  • Develop (code, edit, debug…) as standard process

  • Run as standard, windows real time, or hard real time with re-compilation

  • All can use same library of functions

  • TelePro / SSE supplied C++ classes support many control functions

  • Application processes call Class Methods to execute control functions

  • Application tailored to match and replace current mill control operations

  • Convert Mill specific code to C/C++

 Network Connectivity
  • One (1) Ethernet interface for Process Control I/O

    • Completely isolated from all other traffic

    • RTP chassis

    • PLC Interface

    • 3COM 3C905

  • One (1) Ethernet interface for Process Control LAN and Rest-Of-World

    • Connection to File server

    • Connections to workstations

    • LAN to LAN router connection to remainder of site network

    • NOT 3COM board

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 security

  • Workgroup configuration

 Additional Real-Time Computing Facilities

The base system includes single-use licenses for the following real-time processes and facilities:

Item

Description

1

Table-Driven System Startup Facility

  • All process parameters are stored as a standard Windows compatible flat ASCII .ini file

  • Allocate shared memory areas

  • Initialize shared memory areas

  • Set up process timers

  • Assign process priorities

  • Load and start all application processes

  • Performs automatic process restart

  • Displays dynamic list of:

    • active and inactive processes

    • process IDs

    • % utilization of repetition interval

2

Table-Driven System Shutdown Facility

  • Uses same table as is used by the System Startup Facility

  • Gracefully shuts down all process

  • Unilaterally aborts process which do not shut down gracefully

  • Deallocate shared memory areas

3

Data Dictionary Builder Process

  • Process to build and maintain a data dictionary of process variables

  • Uses as input the include (.h) files used to define variables and structures residing in Global Shared Regions.

  • Header (include) files are in standard C and C++ language format

  • Data dictionary built via an ASCII configuration file

  • Produces a flat ASCII, human readable Data Dictionary file which contains:

    • Global Shared Region Names

    • Variable names

    • Variable offsets within structures

    • Supports default and user defined packing specifications (via pack pragma)

    • Supports standard C & C++ variable definitions and the use of user-defined typdefs

  • Supports simple and complex data types

    • int

    • float

    • char

    • signed and unsigned modifiers

    • short and long modifiers

    • user defined structures

  • Table driven

4

Data Dictionary Access To Process Variables

  • Facility provides system wide access to Global Shared Region variables by their variable name (name presented as ASCII string)

  • All system processes have access to service via C++ Class

  • Returns pointer to Global Shared Memory value

  • Read and write access is provided to all variables

  • Returns variable type, variable size, and array dimensions

  • Also available are user-defined maximum value, minimum value, initial value, and default format specification

  • Screens use this module to access process variables by their dictionary name through OPC Server using this class (see following process description)

5

Process Services

  • Startup

  • Initialize process configuration

    • Priority

    • Timer rates

    • Memory locking

    • Real-Time operation

  • Map global commons

  • Delay and resumption services

  • Shutdown

6

Global Shared Region OPC Server

  • OPC (OCX for Process Control) Server Process

  • Provides network wide access to variables resident in global common

  • Supports all simple data types

  • Supports scalar and array variables

  • Read and write access is provided to all variables

  • Real-Time Web based screens may request and update variable values on a timed basis for screen display

  • Access to variables available to any OPC client on TCP/IP network

  • Visual Basic compatible objects provided for variable display and data entry

  • Visual Basic-compatible objects provided for real-time graphics display

    • Complex bar graph

    • Active shapes

  • Automatic communications object provided for screen building

    • Asynchronous, non-blocking operation

7

Trend Data Acquisition System

  • Acquisition and storage of real-time process data

  • High-speed, real-time data acquired from Process I/O Driver and placed in global shared memory

  • Any Global Shared Memory variables may be trended

    • Process I/O values

    • Calculated values

  • Static list of variables to be trended may be defined in flat ASCII Windows compatible .ini file

  • Support for dynamic addition of variables to be trended

  • Dynamic trend variables automatically deleted when no longer required

  • Trend Data is acquired for user defined period and at user defined rate

  • Trend data is available for display on operator/engineering screens

  • Trend data stored in system memory. 

  • Extended storage of data to disk files.

8

Real-time Trend Data Display System

  • Provides display portion of the Real-Time Trend System.

  • Display of process variables in Real-Time

  • High-speed data trending display screens

  • Data displayed in tabular and graphical format

  • Real-time display of variables on web based screens

    • Display 1 to 30 (or more) variables simultaneously

    • Data rates as fast as 20ms

    • Screen update rates at 1 second

  • User control over display formats

  • Locally implemented (client side) Pan and Zoom features

  • Data Export features implemented web screen available on any client terminal

9

Web Screen HMI system

  • Provides real-time display and modification of process data

  • Based on standard Web based browser technology

  • Standard Windows 2000 client workstation configuration

  • IBM PC compatible workstation

    • Windows 2000 4.0

    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5

    • No special client side environment or software

  • Facilities are provided for designing, building, and maintaining screens

  • Standard Windows 2000 IIS / Peer Web server utilized for publishing HMI screens as standard internet web pages

  • Screens may be published to any network attached workstation using a standard web browser

  • Real-Time screens built with Visual Basic

  • Automated process to build web screen and associated CAB files from VB Screen OCX

  • Custom controls for building animated displays using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, including:

    • Data Entry / Data Display Text Box

    • Trend plot objects

    • Scalar and vector bar graph objects

    • Color fill and Active Shape objects

    • Link buttons to other pages

    • Server data connection management objects

    • Data dictionary-based access to variables in global shared memory

  • Access to screen functionality may be password protected

10

Standard Screens

  • Probe

    • Display and modify variables in global shared memory areas

    • User-defined DataSets of commonly referenced variables

    • Page forward/Page back through groups of variables

    • support for multiple variable types

      • floats

      • integers

      • character strings

      • Boolean values

    • Multiple display formats

      • Standard / default associated with data type

      • Hex

      • Binary

  • ProbeA

    • Same functionality as Probe on Vector/Array objects

  • ProbeV

    • Same functionality as ProbeA with an additional graphic display of the Vector/Array object values

  • TrendX

    • View multiple simultaneous trends in real-time

    • Displayed as 1 to 5 independent strip-chart graphs

    • Supports 1 to 5 independent Y axis

    • User defined Trendsets of commonly referenced variables

    • Page forward/Page back through groups of variables

11

System Procedures

Procedures are provided to accomplish the following functions:

  • Install and configure Tsentry system components

  • Set up screen development system, including VB controls

  • Screen development and control placement procedures

  • Build user application libraries

  • Build (make) individual application programs

  • Build (batch make) all application programs

  • Clone basic process source and build environment to create another application process

  • Build / rebuild data dictionary

  • System backup & restore  procedures

 Remote Access to Control System
  • Access to system provided for remote users

  • Control operation

    • Web based screens with real-time process information

  • Workstation access to program development facilities

    • System FTP access to files

    • Sharing Drives and Directories

    • PCAnywhere console sharing and remote access

    • Terminal Services (Windows 2000 Server)

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