Abstract

FERNANDEZ, Federico; FABERO, Juan Carlos  and  MECHA LOPEZ, Hortensia. Control of industrial processes using reconfigurable hardware. Rep. cient. FACEN [online]. 2019, vol.10, n.1, pp.10-16. ISSN 2222-145X.  https://doi.org/10.18004/rcfacen.2019.10.1.10.

Performing projects for automation of industrial process is, in terms of software and hardware, increasingly complex and sophisticated, as their implementation requires calculation capacity; graphic presentation; communication protocols, both with the outside, with the point where the controlled process is located, between the different component modules of the distributed control system in charge of monitoring the signals coming from the sensors, and modifying the variables of the controlled process by means of actuators. In this paper we present an automatic process control system in real time, applying reconfigurable hardware. This technology is presented as an alternative to programmable logic controllers (PLCs), traditionally used in the industry, due to its increasingly low cost, parallel processing capacity, which allows greater process speed, communication capacity and graphic presentation. But above all, the aspect that makes FPGAs different from other technologies is the dynamic reconfiguration capability, an advantage that allows it to be reconfigured in case of a failure of the controller, in order to prevent a controlled process to be stopped, a very important factor to avoid damages and economic losses.

Keywords : FPGA; PLC; partial reconfiguration; real time.

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