Incorporation into automated control

Continuous analysers are automated and operate on-line or in-line. They are usually incorporated into a control loop which operates by means of a feedback mechanism... 

A wide range of shapes can be induction hardened and a system for quenching can be incorporated into the coil assembly. The process can be automated to harden components in an essentially continuous manner. The case depth is controlled by the coil design, frequency, power, and time of apphcation. 

The automation of analysis, sometimes with the aid of laboratory robots, has become increasingly important. For example, it enables a series of bench analyses to be carried out more rapidly and efficiently, and with better precision, while in other cases continuous monitoring of an analyte in a production process is possible. Two of the most important developments in recent years have been the incorporation of microprocessor control into analytical instruments and their interfacing with micro- and minicomputers. The microprocessor has brought improved instrument control, performance and,through the ability to monitor the condition of component parts, easier routine maintenance. Operation by relatively inexperienced personnel can... 

The commercial development of computer-based control systems for tractors and other agricultural implements has provided a platform that enables coded mapped information to be effectively transferred from a desktop computer to the tractor cab. Initially developed in conjunction with GPS field location for yieldmapping applications, this type of system is now being incorporated into tractors and specialised application vehicles (see Figure 4.6). These can be used to give access to the treatment map in the field, and hence control signals for the application system. Data transfer is commonly by smart cards with current systems, but it is likely that future developments will use radio/telephone connections to automate the data transfer process (Miller, 1999). 

Ultimately, one of the goals in the development of the expert system ACexpert is to incorporate the system into the automated control program of any instrument. This would require that the modules be sufficiently generic that only the control statements, and the specific chemistry encoded as conditions and cases would have to be changed. For this goal to be realized, the knowledge base would have to be created by some form of automated knowledge acquisition module. 

When automated computer control systems are incorporated into a plant, operators tend to rely on them completely to the extent that there is a risk that they forget how to control the plant manually. This can be critical... 

The PC Work Station is an MS-DOS-based computer. The menu-driven software contains chemical protocols and scaling algorithms that automate the synthesis of a wide range of synthesis scales. When a new quantity of support is specified, the scaling algorithms are automatic. The program calculates the number of excess of monomers, volume of solvents, duration of wash steps, number of times and cycle time to be used in the synthesis and also implements the new parameters. These new or user specified parameters are incorporated into a synthesis control file that contains sequential synthesis steps. The synthesis control file may be executed in either Direct Control (On-Line) or Down-Load mode from the System Control Module. 

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