Abstract :
The computerisation and networking of the factory spread farther and deeper in 1994, as did the use of power semiconductors. Calls for greater architectural commonality came from users of control systems, among others. At the interface with the assembly line, vision systems are growing more powerful. A crucial development in industrial computers is the shift to the architecture of the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus. This high-performance 32and 64-bit local bus should unjam the flow of data between a system´s processor and such wide-bandwidth peripherals as graphics display and video units, small computer systems interface (SCSI) drive controllers, and local area networks. The author discusses these trends and developments
Keywords :
computer vision; factory automation; industrial control; local area networks; peripheral interfaces; power semiconductor devices; 32-bit local bus; 64-bit local bus; architectural commonality; computerisation; control systems; graphics display units; industrial computers; industrial electronics; local area networks; networking; peripheral component interconnect bus; power semiconductors; small computer systems interface drive controllers; video units; vision systems; wide-bandwidth peripherals; Assembly systems; Computer displays; Computer industry; Computer networks; Computer peripherals; Control systems; Electrical equipment industry; Industrial electronics; Machine vision; Production facilities;
