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Development of a Remote Industrial Laboratory for Automatic Control based on Node-RED

In this paper, we propose a remote laboratory for automatic control that enables an easier interconnection and integration of its elements. It is based on Node-RED and the MQTT protocol, which enable the easy development of laboratories and an intuitive but flexible user interface for the students....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Domínguez, Manuel, González-Herbón, Raúl, Rodríguez-Ossorio, José R., Fuertes, Juan J., Prada, Miguel A., Morán, Antonio
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
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Summary:In this paper, we propose a remote laboratory for automatic control that enables an easier interconnection and integration of its elements. It is based on Node-RED and the MQTT protocol, which enable the easy development of laboratories and an intuitive but flexible user interface for the students. Node-RED is an open-source programming platform oriented to easily connect hardware devices, APIs and online services. The remote laboratory uses three different elements: an instructor’s client, one student’s client for each student and a central broker. The instructor’s client is the only one with direct access to the plant, through a Modbus TCP connection to the PLC, so it decides which student can manage the system and monitor their actions, hiding the complexity of automation to the students and providing an additional layer for safety and security. The students’ clients are installed in the laboratory or students’ own PCs. To perform the tasks, the students use a predefined dashboard or the Node-RED editor for easy graphical programming. In any case, the process is as follows: instructor’s client reads/writes variables of the plant, publishes their values using a multi-level hierarchical structure, subscribes to the control actions published by the students’ clients and manages how and when those actions are sent to the corresponding pilot plant. This approach has been assessed through the implementation of a hands-on task where students need to set the parameters of a PID to appropriately control the level of a tank in a real pilot plant.
ISSN:2405-8963
2405-8963
DOI:10.1016/j.ifacol.2020.12.1741